Nonprofit Management
Article | July 15, 2022
Although we recommend talking directly with your donors to learn what matters to them, one-on-one conversations aren’t the only way to gain valuable information about your donors. Through analysis of the donor data in your fundraising software, you can obtain insights that will help you create a better experience for your donors, and motivate them to give more over time. Here’s what you can learn from the numbers and how you can apply this knowledge to improve your donor experience.
Biographic and Demographic Information:
This particular donor data isn’t snazzy, but it provides you with important tools to use in donor communications. Here’s what you can do with it.
Preferred Name: Even something as simple as addressing your donors by their preferred names or nicknames will go a long way toward building a meaningful relationship.
Employment: Improve the timing of your emails by sending to full-time individuals when they’re at work.
Age: Millennials are more likely to check social media or text messages for communications, while Baby Boomers are more likely to use email or even snail mail. A multi-channel communication strategy, however, is the best thing to help you reach your donors where they’re at.
Educational Background: While someone’s education level may provide insights about their capacity to give, consider looking at what your contacts were involved in while in school. Did they join clubs that provide a clue about their interests? Did they hold certain leadership positions that tell you what they’re committed to? What community service projects were they active in? This information can help you customize your communications more meaningfully.
Involvement History:
Monetary giving isn’t the only indicator of a donor’s interest in your organization. When you’re putting together your campaign lists, don’t forget to look at other historical indicators as well.
Note: If you’re already using Network for Good’s simple, smart fundraising software, demographic details, like the ones above, need to be individually added as “Custom Fields” to a constituent’s record.
Involvement in Advocacy Work: If an individual advocates for charities or causes, he or she is usually serious about making a difference and seeks to do so in other ways.
Corporate Sponsorships: If someone has organized a corporate sponsorship for her or his place of employment, the individual has demonstrated a willingness to go the extra mile foryour organization.
Showing Up at Events: If you have regulars who appear at your events, they’re prime candidates to get more involved. An events platform that integrates directly with your fundraising software can be a key tool here in making sure you’re following up with the right people.
Network of Connections:
Prospective donors will always be more willing to respond if a friend or business connection has introduced your organization to them. If you think an individual would be willing to contribute to your nonprofit, look at who in your donor database is connected to that person and ask for an introduction. This strategy can also be used for raising corporate sponsorships.
Hobbies:
Hobbies and interests will tell you who’s most likely to participate in your events. They’ll also give you ideas about what types of events will be most popular with your contacts. Here are a few ideas:
Games: Trivia night, bingo, or board games.
Outdoors: Run/Walk, golf or fishing tournament, or softball.
Food & Drink: Wine tasting, celebrity chef or bartender, or profit share at a restaurant.
Music: Benefit concert, talent show, or Battle of the Bands
Arts & Culture: Group night at the theatre, charity poetry reading, or author meet-and-greet.
Timing of Gifts:
When do individuals give? If someone tends to make donations at a certain time of year, your request will probably be welcomed (and successful!) if you ask at that time. Using tools such as the “Giving” filters to conduct donor analysis can help determine if there are trends around a particular time of year for one (or multiple) donors – and knowing the timing of gifts will also help you spend your marketing dollars more wisely. If someone has given within a year-long time period, that person is much more likely to give again than someone who gave two years ago. You can allocate your marketing resources more intelligently if you know who is more likely to donate.
These are just a few ideas on how to use your data to not only build a stronger donor experience but also increase your fundraising revenue.
Learn why the donor experience is vital to a successful organization and how to implement an effective donor experience program by downloading “A Better Donor Experience: Is it the Cornerstone of Donor Loyalty?”
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Nonprofit Management
Article | July 12, 2022
Have you ever heard of the "Ladder of Engagement"? It's definitely not a new strategy, but as the world increasingly relies on keeping audiences engaged and connected, it's an increasingly important tool for all nonprofits.
The nonprofit ladder of engagement is a powerful tool to hook your "casual follower" and move them toward being your most loyal donor and everything in between.
If you don't already have a strategic ladder of engagement for your nonprofit, now's a great time to develop one. And for organizations that have one in place, it's good practice to evaluate and make adjustments from time to time--and summer is an excellent time of year to do just that! This blog will help you develop or update your nonprofit's ladder of engagement.
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Nonprofit Management
Article | July 28, 2022
If you gather a group of nonprofit professionals and ask what their biggest fundraising challenges are, many will likely say they don’t retain enough of their donors. Are you one of them? Do you find yourself asking, “why is my nonprofit struggling to retain donors?” It’s no secret that long-term, repeat donors help you raise more money. And we know that the average donor retention rate for nonprofits hovers around 45 percent. But why has this number remained flat for years while nonprofits continue to focus on donor retention? We find there are a few key reasons why nonprofits struggle to retain donors. And you know that no two donors are the same and there is no one-size fits all approach to fundraising. But while the solution for each nonprofit may be different, many are struggling to retain donors for similar reasons.
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Article | April 15, 2020
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the largest economic relief bill in U.S. history with an estimated $2.2 trillion price tag, was signed into law on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act includes several key relief elements that could prove essential for nonprofit organizations affected by the economic downturn.
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