I talked with a Development Director recently who is in a quandry. His annual giving is down this year. He blames it on the economy and isn’t sure what to do. He said that their annual appeal results are down, with a decrease in the number of gifts received as well as the size of the gifts received. As I questioned him, I learned that they send out only one appeal each year and don’t send any kind of newsletter or other communication. The organization shows up in the media pretty regularly and appears to be doing well.
I think he has a couple of things that are affecting his annual appeal results and neither one is the economy! First, he isn’t communicating nearly often enough with his donors. One of our primary goals as fundraisers is to build relationships with donors. How can you do that if you don’t reach out to them and let them know what you’re up to? Think about your relationship with your best friend for a moment. How would that relationship be impacted if you didn’t communicate with them for a year and when you did, it was to ask for something? You’ve got to communicate at least quarterly with your donors to stay on their radar.
The second issue is that since donors are only getting information about the organization through the media, they probably get the impression that things are fine. This can lead to donors thinking the nonprofit doesn’t need their help. The lack of communication is killing the annual fund by not reinforcing to donors how much they are needed and how their support makes a difference. Again, quarterly communication can solve this problem too.
It amazes me how many nonprofits are experiencing difficulty and are so willing to blame it on the economy instead of looking hard at themselves to see what they might improve on. They’re anxious to find a scapegoat. How about doing some personal work instead? Be willing to admit there are things you’re not doing such a good job at. Learn what you need to learn to do better and move on. If you stay stuck in the blame-game, you won’t raise the money your organization depends on you for.
If you’d like a bit of help to do that, give me a call. I offer a “Lightning Round” of coaching which is an hour on the phone with me. I can give you some feedback on your fundraising and help you identify the areas you need to work on plus give you some solid ideas of ways to improve your fundraising. You can sign up for the Lightning Round at http://www.getfullyfunded.com/store.html.
And I think that you hit the nail on the head, Sandy!
As Gilda Radner used to say, “it’s always somethin’!”
My experience has been – if it’s not the economy, folk will find plenty of other excuses. How many nonprofits have you worked with who had not put out any kind of newsletter or donor communication since 2007? (I’m serious!) Or organizations whose development departments have virtually ground to a halt?
Now is the time to get creative … to (cliche’ I know) think “outside the box!” I find that when I am seeking a solution I get my best inspiration from studying – not necessarily fundraisers – but top marketers.