Transforming non profit donors into cause owners

Donors to Owners

E V O LV E F R O M C O M P I L I N G A D O N O R L I S T
T O B U I L D I N G A PA S S I O N AT E N E T W O R K
O F A C T I V E PA R T I C I PA N T S I N Y O U R C A U S E

Donors to Owners
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Donors: People who write Owners: People who
you a check. actively adopt your cause.
It is costly to gain new donors They champion the
and they are difficult to retain cause, become passionate
in a marketplace exploding activists and recruit new
with causes and issues to converts within their personal
support. sphere of influence.

Copyright PBJumpstart 2012 info@pbjumpstart.com

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Converting Donors to Owners Requires Retention.

Retaining donors, particularly those
Communication is new to your cause, requires
cultivating a relationship through
essential to donor good communication, fulfilling the
promise you have made to utilize
retention. their donations efficiently and
creating opportunities for them to
participate with you in a more active
and personal way.

Copyright PBJumpstart 2012 PBJumpstart.com

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Step 1: Retention
Step 1:
Retention
46% of donors
stop giving due Donor retention is directly linked with the
to poor way you communicate, and often, it’s your
communication. communication within the first 90 days that
You can’t create most affects how loyal a donor will become
owners if you to your cause.
can’t retain
donors.


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Step 1: Retention
Interact with donors in the first 90 days.

First 48: Thank and Welcome
Donors want to Send donors a Thank You and Welcome to Our Community
be appreciated, message within 48 hours of receiving their donation.
 If possible, personalize the message with the donor’s name
know that they and amount of contribution.
are making a  Thank them for their Trust in your ability to help your
difference and cause and to maximize their contribution.
given ways to  The Welcome message should specify your mission and
state the importance of joining this community of
help perpetuate individuals who are dedicated to that mission.
the cause.  Add a fact that stresses the importance of your mission
and reminds the donor of what’s at stake.


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Step 1: Retention
Interact with Donors in the first 90 days.

Donor Loyalty
Within 30 Days – Acknowledge
Programs can Send donors a “See what your donation made possible”
raise retention message and announcement of their automatic enrollment
rates by as much into your Loyal Donor Acknowledgement Program.
 Create an emotional connection with the donor by relating
as 10-20% and the positive impact of their donation on an individual
increase both the person/animal/project.
length of time  Reward the donor by enrolling them in a special “loyalty”
program that acknowledges their contribution and offers
donors are loyal special benefits such as earning points for gifts, discounts
and the amount on products, opportunities to participate, etc.
they donate.  Always add a fact that shows the critical need that your
organization is addressing and how their donation helped
meet that need.


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Step 1: Retention

Within 60 Days – Engage
When people are Give donors the opportunity to give you feedback.
asked for their  The better you know a donor, the more successfully you
preferences and can engage them. If you want to know what the donor
wants from you, ASK THEM.
opinions, they  Provide donors with options for: communication
are more likely to preferences; main interests in your programs; interest in
become engaged opportunities to volunteer or otherwise become involved;
updating their information; sign-up for optional
with your cause communications; etc.
beyond writing a  Provide donors with a forum for expressing their opinions
check. or sharing their personal experiences with your
mission/cause.


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Step 1: Retention

Within 90 Days – Involve
If donors have a
Offer donors the opportunity to “Share the Cause” with
good experience friends, family, co-workers and the world with multiple
with you, they channels of communication.
will be more than  When communicating with donors, make sure they always
have options for sharing your cause with others.
willing to spread  Create a space (blog, forum, Facebook, Twitter) where
the word and donors are allowed to interact with you.
invite others to  Give donors the option of receiving email updates or
newsletters and invite them to submit personal stories
participate. about their involvement with your organization.
 Offer donors prizes through contests or challenges that
reward them for bringing new converts to your cause.


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Step 1: Retention
Communicating over the long term.

Credibility & Accountability
Donors want to Ensure donors of your credibility with current facts and
be assured that figures pertaining to your organizational structure, financial
you’re a reliable performance and specific successes in meeting your goals.
 Always be transparent and make current statistics readily
organization that available on your website.
is meeting the  Invite credible members of the community to serve on
mandates you your board or as advisors to your organization.
have established.  Ask for and publish testimonials concerning your successes
from reliable and authentic sources.
 Seek out third-party sources to endorse or list your
organization as a “preferred” non profit.
 Monitor and promptly respond to negative publicity or
comments circulating about your organization.


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Step 1: Retention

Justify and Quantify the Need
Donors need to
Continuously showcase what is at stake if the need your
feel that your organization is committed to is not met.
organization is  Provide donors with statistics on what’s at stake, what it
will take to meet the need and your specific goals.
meeting a real
 Support the “what’s at stake” with third-party research,
need that will quotes and statistics.
affect positive  Relate the need to someone or something specific to help
change in their create a stronger emotional connection with your donors.
 Tell donors a story that includes a description of what’s at
local community stake and a specific example of a resolution of that need
or the world. due to the efforts of your organization.
 Even if what’s at stake is extremely grave, always include
something uplifting and light-hearted in communications
to prevent donors from “bad news burnout.”


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Step 1: Retention

Clearly Articulate Your Services & Link to Results
The more
Succinctly describe specific services you offer to meet the needs
specific you are of your cause and the results achieved with those services.
about what you  Keep descriptions of your services short and concise.
 Provide specific examples of how these services work to meet
do, the easier it the goals of your organization and have a positive impact.
becomes to  Relate how a certain dollar amount or a certain number of
enlist others in volunteer hours is required to perform a particular service.
 Offer donors the option to select a particular service to
your cause and support with their financial contribution and/or to receive
engage them in communications about in the future.
evangelizing that  “Make it real” with short videos of your services in action and
always include a recipient or positive impact of that service.
cause.  Build a library of testimonials and photographs from recipients
of specific services who have realized a positive impact.


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Converting Donors to Owners Requires Activation.

Donor activists are cultivated by
Activating donors enlisting those who are most
passionate about your cause in mini
requires an effort on campaigns designed to achieve one
specific purpose over a short time
your part. frame. You’ll build a base of reliable
donor activists who can be called into
action for specific needs or to
respond to a crisis.


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Step 2: Activation
Step 2:
Activation
Communication By practicing good communication
skills have skills, you’ve built your donor base, solicited
helped you build their feedback, touched them emotionally
a strong base of and encouraged them to share your cause
donors who are with the people in their lives. Now you can
prepped and invite, challenge, empower and reward
ready to go into them.
action for your
cause.


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Step 2. Activation
Harnessing the power of your donor base.

Invite Donors to Take Action
Your regular Invite donors to go into action for a specific campaign with a clear
communication goal, a theme, a deadline for completion, a singular call to action
and a pre-determined method of measuring results.
with donors has  Campaigns should have one objective, such as increasing
membership, raising funds, enlisting advocacy, attending an
established the event, gaining new volunteers, etc.
kind of rapport  Identify your most passionate and influential donors and
engage them in the early stages of campaign planning to mine
needed to call fresh creative approaches to spreading your cause.
them into action  Put a system in place for measuring the direct results of the
campaign efforts and identifying your most influential and
for your cause. successful donor activists.
 Enlist corporate, small business or private sponsors that can
help defray your costs and donate money, time or products.
 Be prepared to reward your influencers with a small gift
and/or recognition in future communications and at future
events.


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Step 2. Activation

Challenge Donors to Meet a Goal
A secondary goal Challenge your donor activists to reach a specific goal on a
of each campaign deadline.
 Set an overall goal for the entire campaign.
should be  Assign specific goals to individual donor activists that are
identifying and attainable within their sphere of personal influence.
enlisting new  Create a contest among the donor activists with a reward for
the person/group who sells the most tickets, signs up the most
influencers for volunteers, etc.
your cause.  Have a clear and simple call to action that activists find easy to
repeat and share.
 Encourage donor activists to find a company or person who
will match the amount of money they raise for the campaign.


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Step 2. Activation

Empower Donors to Make a Difference
The actions that Empower donors to take the required action by providing them
donors take for with the right tools and the authority to represent your cause.
 Send out a press release to launch the campaign and recognize
your cause will your chosen donor influencers.
get better results  Create a campaign-specific Landing Page on your website with
one simple call to action and “easy button” for complying.
if donors have
 Set up a system for activists to report progress and seek
the tools and the assistance during the campaign.
authority to do  Require all influencers to attend a short campaign kick-off
session where they have a training segment and a rally party.
the job well.  Provide your activists with a feedback mechanism at the end
of the campaign to identify problems encountered and to
enlist ideas for future improvements.


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Step 2. Activation

Reward Donors for Their Efforts
Everyone likes to Reward your donor activists with recognition and a celebration
be recognized for event, even if your goals were not fully met.
 Send out a press release to close the campaign, announce the
a job well results and recognize your donor influencers.
done, even if  Send out Thank You communications within 72 hours of close
of the campaign.
they don’t take
 Sponsor a celebration event, even if it’s just in the
home the gold office, where all influencers can come together and socialize.
medal or win the  Invite new donors to the celebration event to help identify
potential future activists.
title.  Begin planning the next mini campaign at the celebration
event while passions and ideas are running high.


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Check writers have been transformed into a network of activists!

The manpower A part of your donor base is now
valued for the strength of their
fighting for your commitment to your cause in their
cause has everyday lives. They wear it on their
rolled-up sleeves and carry it in their
exponentially hearts, helping you get the results
that affect real change.
increased.


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Need help transforming your non-profit donors into pro-active owners? Contact
PBJumpstart for communication strategy, tactical planning, creative consulting
or content development. We’re always looking for a good cause to serve. Visit
www.pbjumpstart.com or call 662 988-2166. to learn more about our services.

Copyright PBJumpstart 2012

Transforming non profit donors into cause owners

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Transforming non profit donors into cause owners