Engaging your donors and sponsors Making them count

Background/context Association of fundraising professionals – join us! Professional development Networking Job postings Best practices Current fundraising trends

Tip and tricks - agenda The future of fundraising – start inspiring The donor(s) The event(s) Telling your story/marketing

The future of fundraising is here. What does it look like It’s not about our mission, it’s about the donor It’s not about deadlines, it’s about strategy The charity is not campaigning, we are Donors know what they care about and what they want to achieve. We are here to help them get there Life time value of a donor – this helps you to prioritize

The donor(s) What we know: donors want to give – they want to make a difference and to know they have made an impact They are giving to fewer charities There is no such thing as the “public” – need to target our messages to specific audiences – diversity Donors prioritize transparency PEER-T0-PEER IS THE FASTEST GROWING FUNDRAISING METHOD HOW MANY ACTIVE DONORS DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR AGENCY? HOLD ON TO WHAT YOU HAVE – DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS ARE A MEASURE OF SUCCESS, NOT REVENUE WHY DONORS STOP GIVING

THE DONOR(S) – 11 THINGS WE CAN DO HAVE DONORS SEE THE WORK THEY ARE SUPPORTING LETTERS, NOTES AND GRATITUDE CALLS (DO A COMBINATION OF ALL THREE) CONGRATULATE DONORS WHO RECEIVE AN AWARD IN YOUR COMMUNITY CREATE A GRATITUDE TEAM/DONOR THANK A THON LEARN THE STORIES OF YOUR CLIENTS AND SHARE THEM WITH YOUR DONORS CREATE A SUSTAINABLE FUNDING COMMMITTEE

THE DONOR(S) – 11 THINGS WE CAN DO IF YOU HAVE AN ENEWSLETTER – SPEND MORE TIME ON THE SUBJECT LINE AND START WITH A MISSION DRIVEN STORY GO AFTER THE DONORS WHO GIVE SMALL GIFTS - $10, $20, $50 DON’T SAY THANK YOU AND ASK AT THE SAME TIME – THE ASK OVER-POWERS EVERYTHING! FOCUS THE BULk OF YOUR TIME ON RENEWAL Your donors never tire of hearing how great they are and how needed they are and how wonderful they are – calendarize and prioritize doing that Now…calculate donor retention - # of donors in current 12 months /# of donors in previous 12 months

The event(s) What we know: WHY DO WE HAVE SPECIAL EVENTS – DIFFICULTY IN RECRUITING DONORS VIA OTHER CHANNELS; CHANCE TO MINGLE WHAT ARE PEOPLE’S MOTIVES FOR COMING TO EVENTS? SHIFT THE EXPERIENCE TO A TRANSFORMATION

THE EVENT(S) – 11 THINGS WE CAN DO CHOOSE APPROPRIATE MINDSET – VIDEOS, SPEAKERS, SOCIAL MEDIA MAKE TANGIBLE AND CONCRETE ASKS REMIND PEOPLE ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF THE EVENT – SURVEYS/PICTURES CREATE BOARD CHAMPIONS TO HOST THE EVENT TAG DONORS ONLINE – KNOW WHO PEOPLE ARE DON’T SHARE BUDGET NUMBERS – SHARE ASPIRATION NUMBERS FOLLOW-UP!!!!

THE EVENT(S) – 11 THINGS WE CAN DO 8. BE CLEAR AND CALL IT WHAT IT IS – FUNDRAISING, NOT A DONOR RECOGNITION EVENT 9. Have donors share participate in their own recognition at events – have them share why they give to others 10. Connect your ceo/ed to the people at the event 11. An ask-pass – what does that mean following up with your top prospect

Telling your story What we know: What to do (or not do) People who follow charities on social media have increased – need to provide timely updates on our work/use images 60% OF EMAILS READ ARE ON MOBILE DEVICES – ARE YOUR WEBSITES MOBILE FRIENDLY? BRAND AWARENESS IS KEY What to do (or not do) DON’T OVERCOMMUNICATE WITH DONORS ELECTRONICALLY Do donor prospect research – what is their relevant connection to our mission – create a 3-4 pager on each prospect Involve clients and alumni to tell the story – potential volunteer opportunity Make your communications faster – fewer words, better pictures

You are the facilitator of all the above! CONCLUSION How most nonprofits talk vs. how you should talk Donor negligent vs. donor centric YOU NEED SPOKESPEOPLE YOUR BOARD MEMBERS – THANK YOU BIG THINKING STRATEGY – Executive director Designated programs/services – front line staff You are the facilitator of all the above! You are the wise sage!