9 ways nonprofits are conning and duping supporters (all of which you should do without)
Gregory Warner
We help your supporters self-qualify their interest in giving so your frontline fundraisers spend their valuable time with the right people — when they’re ready to move forward. imarketsmart.com
New donors, are testing you out. But many feel duped. I think that's why retention is so low. Everyone hates to be duped!
In fact, a fundraiser recently admitted to me that a major donor once told him he and his wife would rather meet with a used car salesman than a fundraiser. Ouch!
Here are the ways nonprofits are conning and duping supporters:
1. Using tricks or gimmicks to gain new subscribers and/or donors. For instance, one of my staff recounted that she gave to an organization once. Next thing she knows, she was a "member" with no apparent benefits (except now her 'membership' spurred an avalanche of emails and direct mailers).
2. Not thanking supporters.
3. Not recognizing supporters who want to be thanked.
4. Ignoring requests for anonymity.
5. Not keeping promises (such as using donations for something other than what was promised).
6. Spamming supporters and advocates (and/or sending too much printed junk mail without their permission).
7. Not asking for their opinions / feedback.
8. Not reporting what you did with their money.
9. Not proving that the investment they made was worthwhile.
Strategic Fundraiser | Mentor | Community Builder | Public Speaker | Marketer | Storyteller
8 年I don't think this is about nonprofits duping donors (other than the mail spam setup, which every single business on the face of the planet seems to do, so you can't really just pin that on nonprofits). This is more a list of the ways in which many nonprofits are not very competent at donor stewardship.
Executive Director at We Care Jacksonville, Inc.
8 年The membership without content / consent is probably my least favorite on this list, personally In working with donors, timely appreciation and genuine engagement are what I most often hear on their wish list. The others, like impact reporting and transparency, I dare to hope are in the annual plans of all our colleagues in the sector! We all rise or fall together in building donor trust.