Breaking Down The Silos In Fundraising

How do you break down silos to allow for a truly integrated fundraising approach?

Last week I had the pleasure to present at the ALDE Ignite Conference on the topic of how “Multi Channel Marketing can Ignite your Fundraising” and covered the integration of direct mail, email, social media and other digital marketing. But during the second half of the presentation, many attendees shared the main obstacle preventing their organizations from a truly integrated fundraising approach – a lack of communication between departments. So as we discussed there – how do you break down these silos to allow for a truly integrated fundraising approach?

We often see direct mail, phone and face-to-face fundraising are managed by the development team, but often email communication falls under Marketing/Communications and sometimes the website and social media fall under an IT department. And then event communications are another separate plan.  Unfortunately, these departments don’t always have the same end goals for the best donor experience.

Annual and (at least) quarterly cross-department communication planning and goal-setting meetings are the starting point for your integrated efforts. Collaboration is key, as well as an appreciation and understanding that everyone’s role is critical to the overall donor experience.

Next, the communication calendar needs to be shared on your intranet or all-staff emails. As campaigns are rolled out, all staff members from administrative assistants to the president need to be aware of the messaging and goals.  Major gift officers might receive calls about a story featured in an email or mail piece … they may need information to provide an update or more details to donors. At the conference one gift officer shared how direct mail often sparks her calls to major donors or prospects and gives her an excuse to call them. But she has also been caught off guard when donors call her and she’s not aware of a piece that was mailed.

It is also vital that all staff agree that a donor does not ‘belong’ to any channel or department. The donor doesn’t see herself as a “gala donor” or “online donor.” It is not fair to make a decision on a donor’s behalf for what types of communication she would like to receive. Whenever possible, try to take a holistic approach to review results and look at the bigger picture of your donor experience and annual fundraising totals. 

Once departments begin collaborating and working together on a larger communication and fundraising plan, it will lead to a better donor experience, increased retention and increased overall revenue. 

If you’re ready to take the next steps in increasing your multi-channel presence or would like assistance in evaluating your communication plans, please contact me at alyssa.jefferies@meyerpartners.com. Our team is ready to help!