One Important Paradigm Shift that will Help Your Donor Communications

22 Oct One Important Paradigm Shift that will Help Your Donor Communications

22 October 2024

By David Allen, Development for Conservation

If we could change our collective thinking in just one way, we would all raise more money – and not by just a little bit.

That shift in thinking goes like this:

Donors give because they want to.

It sounds simple and intuitive, but it’s not, and we tread all over this idea all the time. Instead, we treat fundraising as a necessary evil that no one appreciates. We assume donors DON’T want to give and our job is to convince them otherwise.

We make form and timing decisions based on what’s easier, or cheaper, or more efficient, or more convenient.

• We fail to personalize appeal letters (it’s WAY more work to match envelopes to letters)
• We let days or even weeks go by without sending acknowledgement letters (we batch them)
• We replace paper newsletters with eNews (environmental organizations shouldn’t use paper)

We assume donors look just like us.

• We assume they don’t like getting requests for money in the mail (nobody reads fundraising letters)
• We assume they don’t like getting phone calls (nobody even answers the phone)
• We assume they respond better to language aimed at younger people (LOL, and smaller type allows us to use less paper)

We justify our existence with lots of facts and figures.

• We list ALL of our organizational accomplishments, even those unrelated to mission (thank YOU for helping us reach our appeal goal)
• We talk to donors as if they weren’t part of the organization (we’re super happy because the Smith tract was our largest deal yet)
• We rely on numbers instead of stories to communicate (these 47 acres are home to more than 3 species of mushrooms)

We are more concerned with sounding important and “learned” than with communicating effectively.

• We use $10 words when two-bit words will do (these spectacular denizens of the desert – the mammals, reptiles, birds, plants, and trees – have all devised ingenious adaptations to the changing conditions of the terrain)
• We use complex nouns and verbs when SIMPLE would be easier to absorb quickly (the Jones’, and people just like them across the state, are big believers in preserving and protecting the greatness of this state and are happy to share with you why they’ve chosen to include the land trust in their estate plans)

When we understand that Donors Give Because THEY Want to, we:

• Take the extra time and effort to personalize everything we can, so we are writing TO someone instead of AT someone.
• We get acknowledgement letters out right away, and even call people to say thank you.
• We send paper newsletters AND eNews.
• We design communication pieces (including requests for money) for older women – partly because women are more likely to give to conservation than men and many of our check writers are older and female, and partly because if older women can read it easily, so can everyone else.
• We use stories to communicate organizational success, because the stories we tell remind donors of their own stories and are internalized differently.
• We simplify our language and word choices to focus on communicating effectively and quickly instead of needing to sound important.
• We use language that is inclusive of the reader, so the readers understand these successes are THEIR successes as much as they are our successes.

Just to be clear: very few donors give money so you can meet your appeal goal. They don’t give because you protected 47 acres, or three species, or 23 more than last year. And they don’t give to get a tote bag.

They give because they remember when you could drink water right from a stream.

They give because the nesting pair had a successful hatch (and the babies are SO cute).

They give because their self-image is of someone who chooses to do something good – and that makes them feel happy.

They give because their giving makes a difference.

Our communications job is not to “sell” anyone on anything. Our communications job is to remind them of their own values and reasons for giving. To offer opportunities to make a difference. And to make it easier for them to find us. We don’t need to apologize for helping them in these ways. And we don’t need to justify our existence.

Because donors give because THEY want to.

Cheers, and Have a great week!

-da

PS: Your comments on these posts are welcomed and warmly requested. If you have not posted a comment before, or if you are using a new email address, please know that there may be a delay in seeing your posted comment. That’s my SPAM defense at work. I approve all comments as soon as I am able during the day.

PPS: Most of this was originally posted in April of 2018.

Photo by Nick the Photographer courtesy of Pixaby.