Month: March 2017
Start your relationships right!
Getting off on the right foot when it comes to donor relationships is SO important. You want to make sure that from the beginning, your supporters know you are not some robot-run organisation and that you are real people that care about them. (People give to people after all!)
After careful persuasion (as somehow our email list was in the hands of someone who neither knows or cares about building relationships) our charity email list came into the management of fundraising and now, whenever someone new signs up to our email list, I send them a personal email, along the lines of;
Hi Jane,
Thank you for signing up to the *organisation* email updates! I would be thrilled to know how you heard of us and if there is any area of *organisations work* that you are interested in?
Once again, thanks for signing up, I hope you enjoy receiving our emails!
Best wishes
Victoria
This is a great way of opening the line of communication. They’re already engaged because they signed up to your email list and it allows them a chance to tell you about why they are interested and what they are hoping to get from your organisation.
Not all of them will reply, but some will and those are the ones you can really develop relationships with.
In my personal experience I’ve found new ambassadors, new donors, previous supporters, professionals in my organisations work, challenge event participants and so many others from doing this simple trick. Setting aside just ten minutes to check for new subscribers and sending a quick email is such a great way to kick-start your supporter relationships in the right way!
Give it a go and let me know how it works for you!
When you’re winding down because your notice period is nearly over and then you get asked to do ‘one last appeal’
Graphic designer: we can do something more exciting than a letter in your DM pack! Letters are boring! Me: …
Shared by Sophie MacKenzie!
When you tell your work-wife you’re leaving & how structured & functional your new org is and she’s just like
Waiting for replies to your latest DM appeal like
Are you telling donors what they want to hear?
‘I am awesome, I did this, I made this, aren’t I great?’
If you had a friend that spoke like this, how long do you think your friendship would last? Are you talking to your donors in this way?
‘This org is awesome, we did this, we made this, aren’t we great?’
Because if you are, I guarantee you are driving away your donors. To keep your donors and engage them, you need to make them the hero! For example;
‘You are awesome, you did this, which in turn made this happen. Thank you for making a difference, you are the best.’
Switch up your language to donors and see your retention rates grow! Tell them what they want to hear and focus on the donor, not your organisation.
Flight of the fundraiser 