It's Friday.
We all have our own rituals throughout the week, and on Fridays I like to have a long list of action items for the day. I try not to schedule any off-property meetings and focus on one thing: donor relationships.
Three actions that are consistent for Fridays with me are:
Call a donor. Or several donors. Not a donor who is getting close to their time for the annual donation. A donor who you just want to say hi and thank you to.
Do a site tour with a donor. Some of you might not have this option. In that case invite a donor for a coffee. Yes, face to face time with the donor is the key here.
Spend some time on your next current-donor mail appeal. It might not be for another few months, but some creative time spent today will totally pay off. Remember, donor-centered.
I absolutely love time with donors. If you are new in fundraising and still uncomfortable with calling a donor or meeting with a donor, I promise that the more you do the more comfortable and even fun it gets. Your passion for the mission of your agency and the donor's passion/vision for the mission can only grow stronger when you spend time with them.
Thanks for reading!
Homeless youth
People we don't see.
Showing posts with label corporate responsibility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corporate responsibility. Show all posts
Friday, June 10, 2016
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Donor relationships
I have said many times that I love the "R" word, meaning that I love the word "relationship".
It is a word that too often is overlooked by fundraisers and professionals in philanthropy.
And that really needs to stop.
If you are passionate about your organization's mission, get into solid relationship with your donors.
If you want to rock your budget, build relationships with your donors.
If you want to build a source of revenue that that your organization can count on, make sure your donors know that you care about them.
How does one go about this?
Call them. That's right. Next time you get an email from a donor asking a question, call them with the response.
Invite them on a tour of your facilities.
Email them a video thank you note.
Send a personal note.
Send them an impact report, or annual report. When we send these out we add a big "Thank you" on the back with signatures of our team.
These are just a few ideas of many. Start here and I assure you your relationships with donors will change.
Thanks for reading!
It is a word that too often is overlooked by fundraisers and professionals in philanthropy.
And that really needs to stop.
If you are passionate about your organization's mission, get into solid relationship with your donors.
If you want to rock your budget, build relationships with your donors.
If you want to build a source of revenue that that your organization can count on, make sure your donors know that you care about them.
How does one go about this?
Call them. That's right. Next time you get an email from a donor asking a question, call them with the response.
Invite them on a tour of your facilities.
Email them a video thank you note.
Send a personal note.
Send them an impact report, or annual report. When we send these out we add a big "Thank you" on the back with signatures of our team.
These are just a few ideas of many. Start here and I assure you your relationships with donors will change.
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Corporate giving
As a non-profit that receives a lot of support from local businesses and national companies I have always been grateful for business people who truly care about supporting our mission in serving youth experiencing homelessness. There are a lot of non-profits out there doing amazing work, and when a company chooses us as the recipient of a financial donation, I celebrate them.
As every individual has their own, personal reason for giving, so too do corporations. Some give because it is their community, some give because someone on their staff is on the board, some give because they are having a public relations problem and some give because they have a desire to make positive change. I could add dozens of reasons to this list.
My approach to asking for support from the business community is one of pure relationship. I don't like simply asking for a donation. As I do with individual donors, I want to be in a life-long relationship with the business. That of course looks different for each business.
Aside from an annual donation, what can the relationship look like? For me it starts with a tour of our space and introducing them to our mission. It continues with letting them know the variety of ways they can support us aside from a financial donation.
Then the fun really begins. How can we, as the non-profit, benefit them?
This is a question only the business can answer. I like to get creative. Would their presence at our annual dinner benefit them? Would having our staff speak to their employees be something of interest to them? What about social media? Remember that every business is different and their partnership with you is going to be different than the next business supporter based on why they are supporting you and what they want from a partnership.
For me it's important to be clear and for me to understand exactly what the business would like from us. I recently had a conversation with a potential corporate supporter who has been using the term "strategic partnership" for some time. I still, after many conversations, do not have a clear picture of what that is.
It's also important to know when there is just not a fit. Every business is not going to want to partner with you, regardless of how amazing your mission is. That's OK. Remember that just because there might not be a fit now doesn't mean that there can't be a fit in the future. And remember that a partnership is not only about a donation. We have dozens of businesses that have employees who volunteer with us all of the time. We couldn't be as successful with our mission without these folks. Each one of them is equally important as a financial donation.
I work for this agency because I firmly believe that we completely rock in our mission to serve youth experiencing homelessness. I take that belief and make sure that comes across in every dialogue I have with a potential supporter. That can help. After all, who wants to give to someone who doesn't come across as 100% enthusiastically supportive of the mission they are representing. When I am meeting with potential corporate donors I must remember that I am the voice for those who have had their voice taken away from them.
Thanks for reading!
As every individual has their own, personal reason for giving, so too do corporations. Some give because it is their community, some give because someone on their staff is on the board, some give because they are having a public relations problem and some give because they have a desire to make positive change. I could add dozens of reasons to this list.
My approach to asking for support from the business community is one of pure relationship. I don't like simply asking for a donation. As I do with individual donors, I want to be in a life-long relationship with the business. That of course looks different for each business.
Aside from an annual donation, what can the relationship look like? For me it starts with a tour of our space and introducing them to our mission. It continues with letting them know the variety of ways they can support us aside from a financial donation.
Then the fun really begins. How can we, as the non-profit, benefit them?
This is a question only the business can answer. I like to get creative. Would their presence at our annual dinner benefit them? Would having our staff speak to their employees be something of interest to them? What about social media? Remember that every business is different and their partnership with you is going to be different than the next business supporter based on why they are supporting you and what they want from a partnership.
For me it's important to be clear and for me to understand exactly what the business would like from us. I recently had a conversation with a potential corporate supporter who has been using the term "strategic partnership" for some time. I still, after many conversations, do not have a clear picture of what that is.
It's also important to know when there is just not a fit. Every business is not going to want to partner with you, regardless of how amazing your mission is. That's OK. Remember that just because there might not be a fit now doesn't mean that there can't be a fit in the future. And remember that a partnership is not only about a donation. We have dozens of businesses that have employees who volunteer with us all of the time. We couldn't be as successful with our mission without these folks. Each one of them is equally important as a financial donation.
I work for this agency because I firmly believe that we completely rock in our mission to serve youth experiencing homelessness. I take that belief and make sure that comes across in every dialogue I have with a potential supporter. That can help. After all, who wants to give to someone who doesn't come across as 100% enthusiastically supportive of the mission they are representing. When I am meeting with potential corporate donors I must remember that I am the voice for those who have had their voice taken away from them.
Thanks for reading!
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