Building a relationship with your Not-for-Profit donors is crucial to the success of your mission. You don’t want to run out of resources halfway through a major fundraising drive or when you have already committed services to a number of potential clients.
While finding donors during a single, one-off event in Australia is beneficial, there is also the concept of developing long-term loyalty. The challenge is that many donors will only give on a single occasion and not routine amounts.
If you want to increase the retention rate of your donors, you’ll need to develop unique and personalised strategies that address their specific needs. Let’s review how you can begin this process so you have a consistent flow of donated funds, items, and volunteers.
#1 – Start with the Relationship
We’re going to infuse this conversation with notes about your website, but please think about donor relationships like any other in your life.
For example, if you have a wonderful cousin you genuinely respect and want to be around, you make the extra effort to reach out from time to time with updates or requests to grab a drink together.
That same principle applies to donors. They want to feel like you appreciate their money and time instead of a transactional relationship.
For this to happen, you must take a values approach to communication. In terms of your website, every interaction from your team with that donor must be a “donor-centric” touchpoint.
If they are signing up for an event, the website should generate a personalised email. If they are requesting more information, the website should relay their specific contact information so your team responds faster than with others.
It’s all about reaching out and reinforcing the importance that donors play in the lifeblood of your Australian NFP.
#2 – Surprise Them to Develop a Connection
There is an exciting concept in marketing called “date your customers.” The idea is to court your customers with surprise discounts, sudden flash sales, or perks unavailable to other customers.
That very same idea can play a role in your donor relationships. This doesn’t have to be a complex situation. Some ideas may include:
- Feature stories about your donors on your website.
- Showcase their gifts on social media.
- Write newsletters directed at “donor member clubs.”
- Make your donation page and account manager on your website as convenient as possible.
It’s all about keeping your primary donors well informed about how your NFP operates so they feel included and surprised whenever something new occurs. You could even have a feedback email you send once a quarter for suggestions and feature the donor in whatever you choose to upgrade, try out, or initiate.
#3 – Proactively Communicate
Along with #2, you need to proactively communicate. Let your donors know how their gift is being used before you post on social media. Invite them into the inner circle of their operations and give them “bragging rights” about your organisation.
You want to be that reliable friend who enthusiastically talks to the people in their lives because you authentically appreciate their efforts, donations, and insights.
In the same vein, thank your donors whenever possible. Something as simple as a handwritten thank you card that goes along with your automated website email or notification can drastically improve your donations.
If you can, integrate a donor CRM (customer relationships management) tool into your website for even better proactive communication.
#4 – Establish Clear Expectations and Goals
It may seem elementary, but your NFP website needs to help you set goals and expectations with your nonprofit organisation and your donors.
If you say something in your content like “we’ll respond quickly with information,” you’d better respond!
Automation throughout your website is a big way to address these issues. When your stakeholders and nonprofit managers set a goal of gaining 100 new donors for the year to raise $50,000 for a new vehicle, make sure all your website systems reflect this goal so your donors understand the focused drive.
Clarity in your mission, goals, and fundraising keeps everyone on board and elevates trust capital. This is especially vital for volunteers. They have more skin in the game and will support you more than anyone else as you reach those goals.
#5 – Consider Group or Corporate Giving
An often-overlooked area of building long-term donor relationships is thinking broader. While there are certainly amazing donors you want to celebrate and inform with any updates, you can also benefit from corporations, businesses, and groups willing to donate to your NFP’s mission.
Try to think outside the box. If you have a teacher’s union supporting your afterschool support NFP, be sure to put their logo on your website and email communication. Or, if there is a local group in your community hosting your events every year, give them a shout-out whenever possible.
Think about it this way. You can use your website as a tool to garner more corporate donors. Write blog posts about how they are tax deductible or improve their marketing. Feature videos about their employees volunteering at your NFP. Do everything possible to give them more clout so they see a high ROI on their donations beyond the positive social feelings most individuals would experience.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, it is all about using your NFP website to solidify as many donors as possible. Integrate plugins, extensions, or add-ons that ensure donors don’t feel like they are nothing more than a number in a bank account.
Foster relationships with these essential parts of your nonprofit organisation by communicating, celebrating, and rewarding them as much as you can. The returns will be a long-term flow of funds and volunteer time that supports your mission. The more predictable these resources are, the better you can help more people.