Before They Give: Start With Know, Like & Trust
Have you ever typed into Google or ChatGPT:
How do we find new donors?
How do we get our donors to give more?
How come our donors don’t seem to understand what we do?
How come our donors don’t continue to give after the first time?
(I know these are common because they get asked to me, too. A LOT).
And look, these are complex questions with a lot of ways to answer that might or might not be applicable to everyone reading this post.
But what will be relevant for all is that your nonprofit needs to develop relationships with your prospects and donors so that they (1) know who your organization is (and what it does), (2) like the work your organization does, and (3) trust that you are effectively using the resources you have to make an impact.
Let’s dive into this more.
KNOW
Raise your virtual hand if you’ve heard this one. You’re sitting in a board meeting and the topic of new major donors comes up.
Someone, with all of the best intentions, raises their hand and says let’s go after Mackenzie Scott. Or
Let’s go after Oprah. Or
Let’s go after [insert major philanthropist here].
Look, these are great ideas. These philanthropists DO give a lot of dollars to charities. And they might give to your nonprofit.
However, they have to first know who you are. And usually that means they literally know a person who is involved in some capacity – a donor, a board member, a staff member, a foundational funder, a community stakeholder. Someone.
So while as a long-term strategy, you can try to go after these philanthropists, why not first prioritize:
- Clarifying exactly what your organization does
- Who exactly your nonprofit helps
- Why what your nonprofit does matter (not just the core issue, but the actual work of the organization)
- What funding would go towards (generally)
And then go out and communicate that.
Clearly. Explicitly. Directly.
LIKE
Now let’s think about you for a moment. Think about all the things you care about. All the causes that matter to you.
Perhaps there is a specific medical disease or condition you are really passionate about because you or someone close to you was diagnosed with that disease or condition.
This might lead you to donating to a nonprofit affiliated with this cause because you care about the outcome of research of finding a cure for that disease.
But maybe there are a few similar organizations to this one you found that supports similar diseases, but not the one you have a connection to.
You looked at their website and were amazed at what they were doing.
But, and this is an awfully big but, this cause doesn’t directly impact you or anyone else you know. So when you think about the top 10 or even top 5 causes you want to support, this one organization that you happen to know about and even does great work, is just not a priority for you. You don’t like them, enough.
And you’re like a person, right? And this is pretty typical behavior that you have to prioritize what you care about and choose to donate to.
I can’t say this enough – your donors are people. And they make decisions like other people. Like you.
So what can your nonprofit do to help increase the likeability factor?
Make sure when you describe your work that you’re talking about how it is relevant in multiple ways. The long-term impact. The short-term impact.
And that you also really connect with those who have a direct connection to you. Are you tracking in your database how someone got to you? Their connection to your cause? This can be fundamental to qualifying potential leads.
One more thing about liking your organization. This may be really obvious. But let’s not make assumptions.
When considering qualifying prospects, your donor has to really like (and not dislike) your cause. In the example above, I share about similar medical diseases.
But what if your organization is an animal shelter. And you’re trying to cultivate a major philanthropist to your nonprofit.
But then you learn, the prospect isn’t an animal person. In fact, she is quite afraid of dogs.
Chances are, this is not your next major donor. This isn’t their cause. Go find someone who has a whole menagerie (or at least a pet).
TRUST
You know how some stories become HUGE because they keep showing up on the social media newsfeed but for other people, they just have no idea?
Well, if you were to view my newsfeed in the past few weeks, you would have seen a lot about the debacle happening at GoFundMe (which acquired Classy).
To make a long story short, GoFundMe created approximately 1.4 million nonprofit pages ready (and taking) donations without telling the nonprofits, asking for permission, or clarifying with anyone how much of each contribution would actually go to the nonprofit (i.e. how much transaction fee they would retain).
This, of course, doesn’t even consider the compliance issues of donating in different U.S. states (which each have their own regulations), overtaking the nonprofit’s page on SEO & AIO, or allowing for nonprofits to steward the donors after they give.
After A LOT of complaints (check out mine here), they did change their policy (you can find it all here). (also double check and watch your organization’s page).
WHAT A NIGHTMARE!
But why?
Because this shows a total lack of trust and respect. To the donors. And even more to the nonprofits.
After hearing about this, doesn’t that make you think twice before working with them?
Issues like this can happen at nonprofits, too. Trust REALLY matters when it comes to people’s money. And people often feel that they are owed clarity around what happens with their donations. No matter the size of their donation.
So how can you demonstrate trust?
- Do what you say you’re going to do
If a donor asks to see a report, and you say you’ll get it to them, then actually send it to them.
- Be honest, even when things go wrong
Sometimes projects don’t work out. Acknowledge that. Show the growth. Show the learning. Show what will help next.
- Be respectful with their money
Be appreciative of every penny. Donating is voluntary, and they don’t have to give. Or give again.
Look, I firmly believe that donating is one of the strongest actions you can take to show what you care about, what you value, what you hope for.
At a time during so much change and uncertainty, how can you provide the opportunity to your donors to demonstrate their values? How can you help them to make the world a better place?
Your nonprofit has the power to do that. But they first have to know who you are, like what you do, and trust you to do it.
And as we approach year-end, let’s talk about how we can build up the know, like and trust factor with your donors, together.