Make New Friends, but First Keep the Old
It’s tempting to think that, when the donations seem to dry up, it’s time for new donors. That may be the case. In fact, you should think about new donor acquisition on an ongoing basis.
But the first step when you start to see a backward trend in giving, or when your current donations aren’t as substantial as your growth vision for the future.
Start with your current donors. Make sure not just their donations, but your relationship with them, is maximized. Because it’s not all about the dollars. It’s about building a relationship with people who desire to invest in a shared vision of transformation.
Here’s a quick checklist of a few things to do to help you maximize those relationships:
Parse all your donors into current behavior patterns based on frequency and level of giving. As you’ll see in our earlier blog post, you want to move them to the top right quadrant. But you can’t do that with intentionality unless you understand where each is at today.
Audit your communications. Are they clear? Are they consistent (ie; they go out every 2nd Tuesday of the month with very little variation)? And are you thanking donors without an ask, sharing the story of transformation, as often as you make an appeal? If you answer no to any of these, tweak your efforts even just a little and see what happens in 3-6 months.
Is your “ask” clear? We see it as a little formula, whether you’re talking or writing the ask: “You can have (this large impact) when you give (this specific amount) which will help us (do this concrete action). Join the transformative work by (DATE).” That clarity will make a world of a difference.
Ask boldly to accomplish the bold vision. Don’t assume what your large donors can do. If you have put in your research and face time with them (not FaceTime, real face time), and you see that they have the capacity, and they show a connection point with you, be bold. Very rarely is anyone offended by a large ask that is accompanied by a huge vision you can accomplish together. Even if they can’t do the whole amount, they will want to share the impact in whatever capacity they can.
Ask often. Yes, you need to thank people without asking. But if you leave an ask to once, twice or even just three times a year, you miss an audience that may have already given to somewhere else in that timeframe. They need the reminder...because, don’t we all need reminders for even the most important things in our lives?
When you address these issues, you will start to build a system of fundraising that works for your organization. Make it a foundation, a systemic, organization-wide approach to how you build a relationship with your donors. Soon, patterns of giving will emerge from the donors that allow you to have some predictability in your budgeting. They will give at regular intervals, increase their giving on a regular basis, or communicate with you when they have to skip.
Once you build that system, it’s time to invite new donors in. Here are a few thoughts on what to when it’s time to put a concerted effort around new donor acquisition:
Find pockets of people who resonate quickly and easily with your message. On Facebook, this would be through their interests, to which you can directly advertise. In-person, finding festivals and gatherings of people with like-minded priorities to your ministry is a great avenue because it’s face-to-face engagement.
Yes, Facebook Ads can be a great means of acquisition if you work it correctly. But Facebook Ads should not be your ONLY source of new donors. Get out there, into the wild, and meet people who know people who can introduce you to groups of people. It sounds old fashioned, but it works.
Your current donors can be your best source of new donors. When you have donors who are willing to share with their friends, because they have caught on to and invested in the vision you set before them, then you know you can find new “warm lead” donors. Equip your current donors to engage with them so it’s easy to do.
If you take away one “to do” from this list, it’s the very first point we started with. Go to your old friends first and make sure you are engaged with them as much as possible. You may be surprised at what changes!