What comes first, the gift ask or thank you? In the fundraising world, when the pressure is on its tempting to jump too quick to the ask. Don’t bypass the most important phase of your gift journey - the donor relationship

Relationships with donors will further your mission and help you meet your goals -

Stewardship

Stewardship - make sure that thanking donors, updates from program staff, videos in emails, special invites with your Executive Director or Board chair, etc.. are a priority. It may seem like you don’t have time for donor retention, you need to focus on the asks right? But without a relationship you don’t have anything!

Pro Tip: Try a video program like Thank View to easily create and send your thanks to donors (consider having program staff or constituents record the video). You can also make it available to your most loyal donors and board members to create a video testimonial that can be shared with your constituents!

Continued Discovery

Continued Discovery - know your donors, their interests, how they want to make an impact in the community. What is happening in their lives and have things changed for them? The pandemic has given us many lessons, not the least of which is we can’t assume circumstances and someone’s wellbeing has stayed consistent. Who should you renew and repair a relationship with if you’ve had a lapse in communication?

Funder Relationships

Funder Relationships - just as important as with our individual donors, it’s critical to maintain and grow our relationships with corporate, foundation, and community representatives. If we don’t we are potentially missing out on transformative opportunities - funders may want to be more involved with your organization but you won’t know until you explore interests. An estimated $2-3 billion is donated annually per year through matching gifts, but an estimated $4-7 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed annually.

Storytelling

Storytelling - communicating your mission through stories, testimonials, quotes from people you serve, supporters, and funders is a critical component of what you do. Powerful stories resonate with supporters, they inspires others, they help supporters relate to what you do, and help people understand your mission and the vital role you play in the community. Media connections are also always looking for stories to highlight! Good stories don’t just jump in your lap - I can help you formulate questions to enhance the process and develop relationships with your storytellers - converting them into followers and supporters!