Fresh Support in a Time of Crisis

At the foundation of long-term growth is also a commitment to keeping your donor file healthy

There’s no question that in turbulent times, the nonprofits that stay the course from a fundraising perspective realize the fastest and strongest recovery — and many even experience growth.

As we’ve discussed in recent posts, such stability requires communicating frequently and transparently with your donors, presenting a strong case for support, and maintaining strong stewardship efforts — beginning with timely, relevant thank you receipts.

At the foundation of long-term growth is also a commitment to keeping your donor file healthy and expanding your outreach to generate “fresh” support. By that I mean acquiring both brand new donors to your organization and reactivating those who haven’t given recently. Retaining current donors is a critical component — but in itself is not sufficient to sustain support.

To many it may not seem like a wise time to be looking for new supporters. Unemployment rates continue to rise and the stock market is still fluctuating. Before we even heard the word Covid-19, many nonprofits were already modifying their acquisition plans to minimize any negative impact the presidential election might have on fundraising this fall.

Fortunately, donor confidence appears to be resilient. A new study of American donors sponsored by Dunham + Company, found that 69% of donors expect to give the same or more this year. Half of donors (52 percent) said they expected to give the same as before, while one in six donors (17 percent) expected to give more.

In fact, the same study found that “the majority of donors (53 percent) say they are not facing a challenging financial situation, with 63 percent of those making more than $75,000 per year faring well and more than 7 out of 10 (72 percent) of donors who are Boomers and older also doing well.”

One philanthropist on social media went so far as to invite charities to ask him for money and shared multiple ways his household budget has actually been relieved this year as summer camp and major vacations are canceled, personal care expenses have dropped as he’s been giving himself haircuts and not paying to dry clean his clothes, and his family has saved money by not eating out as much.

So let’s not presume our past supporters and new donors can’t or won’t give right now.

Achieving success — even in our current context — really comes down to applying the tried and true fundraising fundamentals:

·      Identify the right target audience

·      Build a strong case for support and present a tangible, urgent “offer”

·      Use creative “packaging” that’s engaging and comes across as authentic and personal

In the context of acquisition and reactivation we’re talking to a “giving” audience. They have a lifestyle of seeing a need and giving to help meet that need. Our job is to help them answer two questions: “Why give now?” and “Why give to this particular organization?”

Why give now?

For those organizations that have urgency naturally built into their case for support, this is easy to articulate. For example, families in need of safe shelter and a warm meal are easily relatable, and providing basic necessities must be addressed immediately.

For others, there are a variety of ways to convey urgency. Just a handful that come quickly to mind include:

·      A time-sensitive matching gift opportunity that doubles or triples donations made by a certain date

·      A simple fundraising campaign goal such as providing 100 emergency meal packs to a community that depends on tourism for its livelihood with a deadline of the end of the month

·      Even though we know it’s not typically a strong motivator, the opportunity offered through the 2020 CARES Act for a $300 tax deduction this year, on top of the standard deduction, may be just the nudge some donors need

Why give to this organization?

There are a lot of nonprofits doing good work which means donors have to decide where to invest their money. They want to know they’re making an impact when they give. One of the best things we can do is to make this decision as obvious as possible. How can prospective donors know your organization will do the best work with their donation?

Boldly share your positive track record. How long has your organization been doing good work? How many lives have been impacted? Tell specifically how your nonprofit is creating positive outcomes. A personal testimony from a former client speaks volumes.

Peer endorsements from other donors are also a powerful tool in fundraising. Help prospective donors identify with others who give to your organization. People value being part of a community that’s doing good.

Speaking of community, if you’re a local nonprofit, capitalize on the fact that by giving to this organization, donors can make a difference right where they live. They’ll be able to see the impact with their own eyes and meet the people they help. Who doesn’t want to creative positive change in their own city?

These are challenging times we’re living in, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a healthy and thriving base of financial support. If you’re ready to step up your acquisition and reactivation efforts and could use some guidance, we’d love to help! Send me an email at charity.abate@meyerpartners.com.