Hi Folks,
Matt and Sarah are phone canvassers in my phone department and have given their input on the subject of engaging donors…
By Sarah K.
When signing up donors for monthly contribution charities hope to keep them on long term. Unfortunately many donors terminate their donations sometimes even before they have begun. This is why the courtesy/thank you/reaffirmation call matters almost as much as the first interaction…
The most common reason for cancellation during the verification call is financial, whether it’s because they’ve lost their job or just didn’t factor the donation into their monthly budget.
The best way to try and avoid this is to make sure the amount they are signed up for is something they can afford on top of their other expenses and letting them know that the donation amount is not fixed. Everyone goes through financial ups and downs and letting donors know the charity wants to work within their budget to help them help the charity is important. Emphasis should but put on quality of donation not quantity.
Another reason many donors cancel is because they’ve lost touch with the charity and forgotten why they wanted to donate in the first place. Keeping in contact with donors to let them know where their money is going is a good way to keep them interested and passionate about the charity. Sending updates via the donors chosen form of communication with current campaigns and projects shows them the need for ongoing support.
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Engaging Donors
By Matthew D.
One of the rising concerns with monthly donations is keeping the donors motivated to stay on the program, especially given the remnants of the economic strife that most individuals reference when they make a decision to either donate or not donate.
How do we handle this issue so that we can ensure that the fundraising we do for non profit organizations is going to provide them with the sustainable funding they need? It comes down to three things:
- Information
- Engagement
- Passion
The more the donor knows about ongoing issues that the charity is facing and how their donation is making that better the more motivated they are to remain a loyal patron. I believe that if donors were able to see first hand where and how their money is being spent and ways for them to be more involved (ie. volunteering), it would give them a stronger connection to the charity! People generally want to feel a sense of belonging to things they are emotionally and finanacially invested in.
Doing these two things would automatically bring passion for the organization that the donor is involved with, however, charities are able to make a big difference in the lives of less fortunate people so updating donors with positive information is something that needs to be done as well.
Things like, the ability to provide a well to a village in Africa giving clean and safe drinking water to a needy community, freeing a prisoner who has been incarcerated for their beliefs, making a break through in pediatric medicine saving the lives of countless amounts of children worldwide or reuniting a family after a devastating earthquake destroyed their homes. When donors see the good that has been accomplished because of people like them it makes them feel as though their donations are working and it would make for a more engaged donor, and a more engaged donor is one that will stay on for longer periods of time. All in all the more the donor feels connected to the organization the more likely they will stay committed to donating.
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Next up…..thoughts on the welcome/verification call
Peace!
