What do donors want right now?
We know that donors in 2011 have cut back their giving and are focusing on fewer organizations than ever.
And they are looking for one thing more than anything else.
Donors are looking for IMPACT.
The big question they are asking is:
“What are you doing with my money?”
“Are you wasting it? Or are you making a difference?”
If you are not addressing these questions in your communications to your donors, you can expect a serious drop off in donor renewals. You don’t want that, do you?
So here’s what you give them – a report or better yet, a web page, called:
“YOUR GIFTS AT WORK”
Forget the boring “Annual Report.” (Research shows that donors don’t read them anyway.)
Instead give your donors EXACTLY what they want – information on how their gifts are used financially.
And tell them in no uncertain terms how they are making a difference in the world changing and saving lives.
All the research studies right now are showing that today’s donors are more “performance oriented” than ever – so give them performance data.
What to put on “Your Gifts at Work” web page:
Here’s what should be in your “Your Gifts At Work” report or web page. (BTW – make it the most important page on your web site too.)
1. Pie chart on where the money comes from.
2. Pie chart on where the money is going.
3. Photo of cute kid (if possible) and a story about how your organization changed or saved their life.
A real-world example.
Check out care.org – I give them major high marks for putting the pie charts right there on their home page.
- CARE’s Programs by Activity
- How CARE’s expenses are Allocated
And actually one of the home page links (there are several) is a donation landing page.
Clearly this organization is all over state-of-the-art online fundraising. We can all learn lots of lessons studying their site.
Also, amazingly – right there on the home page, is a link to the Charity Navigator page for CARE. There you can find summary financials, the name of the board chair, the salary of the CEO, and 3rd party ratings on CARE’s organizational efficiency.
Do you have the guts to put the Charity Navigator or Guidestar link for your organization on your home or donation pages?
Here’s an organization that understands “transparency.”
We’re all talking a good talk about transparency. But I am not finding many nonprofits that want to practice it.
But here’s the thing. If this is one of the most important factors donors consider when deciding whether to renew a gift, maybe you better put it into action.
Remember, today’s post-recession donors are different than the ones a few years ago.
Today’s donors want as much BANG for their buck as absolutely possible.
It’s YOUR job to tell them how you give them that BANG.
Your same old same old story about your organization isn’t going to cut it with today’s (and tomorrow’s) donors.
Try copying CARE’S site. It’s clearly a donor-centered site, a donor-centered portal for donations, and demonstrates a state-of-the-art donor-centered fundraising process.
Give donors what they want and they’ll reward you with continued giving.
No matter what’s going on in the economy.
Do you agree? Let me know with a comment!
