The Code to Unlock Your Donor Relationship
Get out a pen and paper. Yes. A real pen and piece of paper. Draw a box, and then create quadrants. Put an “I” in the top left and bottom right boxes, and an “O” in the other two boxes.
IOOI. It looks like a code. In a way, it is: a not-so-secret code that can help unlock the relationship with your donor by building a pathway between your work and your impact.
This simple quadrant exercise can help you assess and plan the operational structure of your missional work, which is critical to ensure that your donor understands it and shares in the impact with you.
Top Left “I” - Inputs: Your inputs are the programs, events, and other programmatic (not administrative or fundraising) areas on which you spend money. Can you clearly define them? Do they connect to what you do and the problem you solve? Or do they feel a little like noble-but-disconnected stand-alone efforts? In the box, include the size, cost, number of people who have access, number of staff, frequency of occurrence and any other parameters that can help define it.
Top Right “O” - Outputs: These are your easily-measured results that you can control. For example, number of enrollees or attendees, number of graduations, etc. If you think of a typical infographic, this in the info that would fill the space. If you aren’t tracking these, outline them in your quadrant and start a spreadsheet. If you are tracking them, make sure that you’re up to date and measuring the full impact. A good place to define these? Check grants for which you could apply for these programs, and compare what they want to see as demonstrated success with what you measure.
Bottom Left “O” - Outcomes: Different from the cut-and-dry outputs, outcomes point to the short-term change that happens as a result of your programs and work. You can measure them, usually, but you can’t always draw a direct line between your ability to make that outcome happen. There are often other factors that lead to the result, of which you are only one. Think about it like this: an output is the number of people who come to church, but the outcome is how many are truly disciples or make a decision for Christ. Spend some time dreaming about what these are, even if they aren’t taking place now or you aren’t tracking them.
Bottom Right “I”- Impact: This is the long-term difference you make. And often, it’s pretty large and lofty. In fact, your impact can be so large that you could have never dreamed it would happen. A few examples: a student going to college as the first in his family after years in your after school programs or being fed by your ministry, or a movement of Christians transforming a community in word and deed with the tangible love of Christ. These are your greatest success stories, and are often measured in just that: stories of true transformation.
Ready to crack the code? Start with that pen and paper. Map it out. Ask others to think through it with you. It’s not just a map for your donors, but it’s also a map inside your organization that can propel some really great opportunities for 2020.