The Art & Science of Donor Engagement (with an added bonus: templates!)

Struggling with the right approach to communicate and connect to donors right now? It is tough to strike the right balance. In all things, we are playing the long game, but the pandemic makes donor communications even more challenging. Face-to-face interactions, which build connection, are now not appropriate for most individuals. So, it makes written communications that much more important. Once again, Tawnia Wise and her team at Wise Resource Development have stepped up, expanding upon their sound advice regarding donor communications and providing some easy-to-use templates to get your juices flowing.

It can be hard to know how to communicate with donors when you are experiencing an organizational crisis, and even harder when the world is experiencing a global pandemic. We partnered with the marketing and communications experts at Sheahan Communications to develop some sample communications you can customize for your organization.

For a complete list of templates please scroll down to Donor Engagement Templates.

There are several important considerations that we took in developing these letters/scripts. When repurposing these templates, keep the following tips in mind:

1. EXPLAIN YOUR RELEVANCE

How you position your agency during this critical time will dramatically impact how people see you for years to come. Now more than ever, it is time for you to clearly describe the value of your mission work. Make sure that your donors understand your results and your impact on the community. Craft your donor appeal with a focus on concrete outcomes that tell your story.

2. EXPLAIN THE VALUE OF A GIFT

Give donors concrete examples of how their gift can make a difference for your organization. When sharing this information, be careful not to use restrictive language like, “Your donation will provide food for a family of four for a month.” Instead say, “A donation of $300 could provide food to a family of four for a month.” The difference of one word determines whether you have promised the use of the gift to a specific purpose.

Since a $300 gift is the sweet spot for taxpayers who claim the standard deduction, let donors know what $300 can do to support your mission. Determine this by dividing your expenses for a program by a unit of measurement (time, people served, services provided).

3. EXPLAIN YOUR RESPONSE TO COVID-19

If you are providing direct services to people impacted by COVID-19, share what you are doing. Explain how these efforts may be stretching your resources or describe the growth in demand for services that you are experiencing. If you are not providing direct services, but COVID-19 has impacted your ability to serve your clients, share how you are pivoting to continue to serve them to the best of your abilities.

4. BE POSITIVE WITH URGENCY, NOT NEGATIVE WITH PANIC

Keep in mind that your donors may already be in a state of crisis. Fundraising with a sense of urgency can quickly cause donor fatigue, especially when almost every other nonprofit is doing the same thing. There can be a fine line between a sense of urgency and “We will crash and burn without your support.” People don’t want to support a sinking ship. They want to support a winner. Give donors something to be hopeful about by being honest about your situation and how they can help. Give them a way to make a positive impact.

5. BE CAREFUL ABOUT THE LANGUAGE YOU USE

Everyone is on overload with COVID-19 news and communications, so it’s harder than ever to stand out. In the title or opening of your appeal, don’t use COVID-19 or coronavirus. Your supporters don’t need another reminder that these are “unprecedented times” or that it’s “a new normal.” Don’t rely on these lazy, tired phrases. Push yourself to communicate in very specific and personal terms how your organization is responding. Tell a story, highlight a hero or share how your organization is innovating in this environment.

Think through every single word and phrase you’re using in your appeal and ask yourself, “Am I saying this with hope in mind? Is there a way I can say this with greater positivity?” Think of a hopeful opening or a phrase that will catch their eye as they are deleting the massive amount of COVID-19 notices they’re already receiving. Use language that reflects the hope and impact provided by your mission work. The reminders of the scariness of the situation are everywhere. There is no need to herald them in your appeal.

Check out the interesting research on donor communications published by NextAfter for more insight on language usage during COVID-19.

6. TREAT YOUR DONORS LIKE PARTNERS

Encourage feedback and questions from your donors. Consider hosting a virtual town hall meeting to share updates. Ask for suggestions on how you can best communicate with and support them during this time. If you are pivoting events or strategies, engage them in brainstorming and implementing those activities. Those donors who are most committed to your mission will appreciate this opportunity to be part of the solution.

Also, remember that your donors are in the same storm that you are and may have challenging personal circumstances of their own. Show authentic concern and remember that relationships come first. Ask for a donation only after you have shown up for your donors by asking how they are doing or acknowledging that they may not be able to give now.

We love that this practical advice has been coupled with templates. Check them out, compare them to your work and rethink your approach to ensure you are striking the right balance with donors. And, if you have approaches that have worked for you, please share them with us.

DONOR ENGAGEMENT TEMPLATES

EMAIL/LETTER TO LONGTIME DONORS

Dear Mary and Phil,

I hope you are safe and well. I left a voicemail earlier today and wanted to follow up by email.

First and foremost, I wanted to check on you and see how you are doing. I also want to share some updates on how we are responding to COVID-19. We want you to know that your longtime support has helped position our organization to respond in the crisis.

As you are likely aware, we had to shut down our physical program operations on March 30. Thankfully, we were able to pivot quickly to provide services to our clients through HIPAA compliant video conferencing. We are fortunate to be able to continue to provide these much-needed services as the demand for support has increased twofold due to the stressors caused by COVID-19.

With these changes have also come new pressures. Transitioning to telehealth services has resulted in significant unbudgeted expenses associated with upgrading and purchasing technology so that our employees can work safely from home. We have also had to postpone our annual fundraising event, a much-needed revenue source, and we are considering options for raising funds to fill the revenue gap caused.

It is a challenging situation, but we are focused on adapting and adjusting to meet the needs of the people we serve. You are one of our most trusted partners, and I would love to get your feedback on how we are proceeding. Could we connect briefly by phone or video this week? I would love to share more details, answer your questions and get your input.

I hope that you are well and I look forward to speaking with you.

With sincere gratitude,

Tawnia

EMAIL/LETTER TO NEWER DONOR WHO GAVE RECENTLY

Dear Mary and Phil,

I hope you are safe and well. I left a voicemail earlier today and wanted to follow up by email.

I wanted to check in to see how you are doing and share some updates on how we are using your recent gift to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

As you are likely aware, we had to shut down our physical program operations on March 30. Thanks to generous gifts from donors like you, we had the funds on hand to pivot quickly to provide services to our clients through HIPAA compliant video conferencing. We are fortunate to be able to continue to provide these much-needed services as the demand for support has increased twofold due to the stressors caused by COVID-19. In March, we had 25 ongoing counseling clients and in the first two weeks of April alone, 27 new clients reach out to us for support.

Transitioning to telehealth services has cost our organization $50,000 in unbudgeted expenses associated with upgrading and purchasing technology so that our employees can work safely from home. While we had to funds on hand to purchase the equipment, we are working hard to replenish those funds needed to serve clients.

We have also had to postpone our annual fundraising event, a much-needed revenue source, and we are considering options for raising funds to fill the revenue gap caused.

I would love the opportunity to connect with you by phone or video to share more details about how we are responding to COVID-19 and to answer any questions that you may have. As a trusted donor, I would also like to get your feedback on our ideas to shift our annual fundraising event (campaign) to support our current greatest needs.

We are grateful for your support of our mission, and we look forward to continuing that vital mission work in new ways as we adapt to our current virtual environment.

I hope that you are well, and I look forward to speaking with you.

With sincere gratitude,

Tawnia

EMAIL/LETTER TO DONOR WITH A PLEDGED GIFT

Dear Mary and Phil,

I hope you are safe and well. I left a voicemail earlier today and wanted to follow up by mail (email).

I wanted to check to see how you are doing and to offer some flexibility in fulfilling your pledged gift. This “Great Pause” has given our world an opportunity to focus on our greatest priorities. We are so thankful that you have always made caring for your community a priority!

As you know, we have purchased the land for our new shelter, and we are ready to move forward with construction. We are reaching out to each of our capital campaign donors to get an idea on whether pledged gifts can be fulfilled at this time, whether we can adapt payment terms or help you with other payment options.

This project is more important now than ever. We are already at capacity and know that the need for shelter services will increase in the months during and after the pandemic as the impact on our community’s lowest income populations has been devastating. This is reflected in our waiting list of 100 families, which has doubled in size since March 30.

I would love to have the opportunity to talk by phone or video within the next week. Please let me know if there is a time that would be most convenient for you.

I hope that you stay safe and healthy.

With gratitude,

Tawnia

EMAIL/LETTER TO CORPORATE EVENT SPONSOR

Dear Mary,

I hope you are safe and well. I left a voicemail earlier today and wanted to follow up by mail (email).

As you know, our annual luncheon was scheduled for May 22. We rely on this event for 25% of our annual revenue. The revenue from the event is vital to our mission work, because we can spend it on our greatest needs. We rely greatly on these funds, therefore after much consideration, we have decided to turn our luncheon into a virtual event.

A virtual event will give us the opportunity to reach even more people. It means that we have had to adjust our sponsorship benefits to adapt to the new virtual format, but I am excited about the new benefit options. I think that you will be too!

We are also keenly aware of the impact that COVID-19 may be having on your employees. As you know, we offer a wide range of services, including emergency financial assistance, a food bank and financial coaching. This is a time when we can deliver an even greater benefit to your company in support of your employees. Please feel free to distribute the attached brochure that describes our services to your employees. We will maintain confidentiality, so that they can feel comfortable in reaching out to us for support.

I would love to talk through our virtual event format and how we may support your employees during this time in more detail by phone or video call. Please let me know when you are available to chat. I hope that you and your family stay safe and well always.

With gratitude,

Tawnia

EMAIL/LETTER TO ANY DONOR

Dear Mary and Phil,

I hope you are safe and well.

As you are likely aware, we had to shut down our physical program operations on March 30. Thankfully, we were able to pivot quickly to provide services to our clients through HIPAA compliant video conferencing. We are fortunate to be able to continue to provide these much-needed services as the demand for support has increased twofold due to the stressors caused by COVID-19.

Transitioning to telehealth counseling services has cost our organization $50,000 in unbudgeted expenses associated with upgrading and purchasing technology so that our employees can work safely from home.

The good news is that we are able to provide much needed support to struggling individuals and families. One client, a 70-year-old grandmother who is raising her three grandchildren on her own, and now struggling to homeschool them, has called her counselor, Beverly, a lifeline. Beverly gives a connection to the outside world, tips on self-care and parenting and helps her navigate through the hardships and new expectations of being sheltered in place.

A gift of $300 could help us provide one month of telehealth sessions for a client like this grandmother.

We wouldn’t be able to provide this vital support without donors like you! Please consider making a gift today so that we may continue these important counseling services.

With gratitude,

Tawnia

EMAIL/LETTER TO ANY DONOR (ORGANIZATION NOT CURRENTLY OPERATING)

Dear Mary and Phil,

I hope you are safe and well.

As you are likely aware, we had to shut down our program operations on March 30. We also had to postpone our annual luncheon which makes up 25% of our annual revenue. While we are deeply disappointed to have to make these changes, our first priority is the safety of the people we serve and our team.

We refuse to be disheartened by this unexpected turn of events. Our team has been reaching out to provide tips and resources to our community, and we are regularly posting helpful information on our website and social media to take our mission online until we can return to in-person programming. We are also taking this time to consider how we can come back even stronger on the other side of COVID-19, and we are reaching out to our donors to get their input on how we are moving forward.

Like the rest of the world, we are taking this time to evaluate our priorities and bring our friends closer to us. Our hope is that you will continue to support us with a donation, so that we may continue to thrive in the months and years to come.

Please consider making a gift today. I also invite you to call my mobile phone. I would be happy to hear from you and listen to any feedback that you have on how we can pivot our services and messaging.

With gratitude,

Tawnia

PHONE SCRIPT FOR BOARD MEMBERS

Our donors love to hear from board members. And fundraising research shows that donors who receive thank you calls go on to make additional and even larger gifts! While most board members enjoy making these calls, they can feel awkward at first, so a script can be helpful.

Here is the information that you will need from us:

• Donor’s name(s)
• Donor’s contact number
• Date the gift was received
• Donor’s giving status (first-time, monthly donor, multi-year donor)
• How the gift is being used now

This information helps you personalize the phone conversation or voicemail message. You will notice that we do not provide the amount of gift. That is because every gift is meaningful to us.

Here is a sample script for you to use, however the term “script” is misleading. The best thank calls are authentic. The key is be yourself. Use your own language and mannerisms. Oh, and smile, because they can “hear” it!

Hi there, _________________________ (donor name)! My name is _______________________ (your name), and I’m a board member at __________________________ (organization name). I wanted to call and tell you thank you for the ________________________ (adjective, i.e. generous, thoughtful, wonderful, kind) gift you made ______________ (date of gift, i.e. last week, at the event, last month). I hear this is ______________________ (donor status, i.e. your first gift, one gift of many you have made, an ongoing gift, etc.). How ________________________ (adjective, i.e. amazing, delightful, incredible)! Thanks to your gift, we have been able to _______________________________ (how the gift is being used now). We are so grateful for your support during this coronavirus crisis. Thank you so much, ___________________ (donor’s name)!

Many calls go to voicemail, but if you catch a donor on the phone, feel free to keep the conversation going. Ask them what made them decide to give and what connects them to the mission. What part of the mission work do they most connect with? How did they first connect to the mission? What makes you feel good about supporting our organization? What would you say to others about supporting us? Is there anything that you feel we can do better?

Often people are afraid to make these call, because of the fear of how awkward it will be if you can’t answer a question that they may have. You have permission to say, “That is a great question and I admit I don’t know. Let me find out the answer to that and get back to you.” The donor will feel heard by this response and that is what is most important.