How Do You Connect With Your Donor?

I am often struck at the lack of conversation most nonprofits have with their donors or want-to-be donors. How often have you heard the old cliché: "The only time I hear from ‘X’ is when they want money!" This begs the question, Why?

The nonprofit arena is busy and busy being busy. Nonprofits for the most part are what I like to call "hidden in plain sight" bumping along day in and day out.

Likewise, every day we as individuals fall into our routine. It sometimes seems impossible to do something beyond our normal, and we all have a million excuses. How many times have you heard someone say: I can't do that because I don't have enough time! For whatever reason we act like this precious thing we call "time" is something we actually have no control over. Many also have lost touch of the simple fact that failing to "act differently" is our own fault and not due to forces beyond our control.

Hold On Change Is Coming!

Donors give nonprofits daily something of great value! Sometimes it might be money, other times it might be volunteering their time. On some occasions it actually goes deeper and a person extends to the nonprofit a part of their heart.

In all these cases nonprofits need to understand that they do not deserve this just because they are doing something good that helps others in society. Nonprofits need to understand the fact that gifts are given as a response out of a genuine sense of compassion and responsibility to others that the donor feels, not because the nonprofit is the most deserving.

Let's dig deeper! If you went to a fast food restaurant and placed your order and the person took your money but did not give you your food in return, then you would be more than just a little upset; you’d feel cheated.

So, what are you giving back to your donors for the money they give you? A receipt? If the fast food restaurant just gives you a receipt will you be satisfied then?

Nonprofits are so stuck in a rut that they forget that donors are people and that people need to feel a whole range of emotions in order to be complete. It would not be normal for a person to be happy or sad all the time but we as people need more!

Wake up! It is time for you to literally excite the senses.

See: Yes, that is right you have to get out from behind your desk and out of the comfy confines of your safe office. It feels good to be safe doesn't it? As a nonprofit executive you do not want to feel rejected. It is hard to ask for money too isn't it? Ok, I get all this but I am not asking you to jump out go ask for money. I am asking you to go see your donors. Be on your best behavior and take a gift. Not something big but something they can place on their desk to remember your organization.

Hear: When someone says the words, I hear ya! Do they really? Most of us are blessed with having two ears and one mouth. It was designed that way for a reason. You should double your efforts to hear what your donor has to say and talk less. Also, we as a society spend a lot of time tuning in and tuning out the messages we are bombarded with daily. What messages are you sending as a nonprofit? What is the donor actually hearing? Are they deafened by the silence?

Smell: It might seem odd to have nonprofits thinking about how they smell but if you will bear with me for a moment! Do you know how a bakery smells, the smell of flowers, or wood burning on a fire? What can you do to excite the sense of smell for your donor? What do you think the reaction a donor would have if perhaps a child who was served by a nonprofit made the donor something out of PlayDoh? Do you remember playing with PlayDoh as a child, remember the smell?

Taste: No doubt you have heard the proverb: “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!” While this might be a little over simplified I have never heard of a donor complain that they are getting too much candy or goodies from a nonprofit they support.

Feel: Do you really know how your donor feels about your nonprofit? What motivates their support and interest in the service you provide. Taking just a few minutes to harvest this important nugget will benefit your organization for years to come.

These are just a few ways you might consider to better connect with your donor. But remember, ultimately you will be judged by your actions rather than your words. It is up to you to connect with your donor, and it is not the responsibility of the donor to find you!

To learn more visit: www.nonprofitexpert.com

The Nonprofit Arena 2010 Outlook

In 2010 we can expect a third of the work force in the US to be unemployed or underemployed at some point over the next year! The reported 10% unemployment rate is not the true picture. The actual rate is over 17% when you include the unhappy part time workers and those that have stopped looking for work i.e. discouraged which are labeled a politically correct term “marginally attached” versus unemployed.

The real challenge for the nonprofit arena is to motivate people to do what they are already wired in their mind and hearts to do naturally, which is to give!

How this is done is not rocket science but is based on the principle of truth and honesty.

First and foremost nonprofit organizations need a healthy dose of realism and face the fact that not everyone will be attracted to their cause and that is ok.

Secondly, the best nonprofits are those that are run by people who they themselves believe in the cause. In my opinion people who love what they are doing and would do the job they are doing without pay if they could are the ones who I want on my team, how about you? Wouldn’t you rather work with someone excited to do their job versus someone who is just punching the clock for a paycheck? They answer is obvious and donors to nonprofits are quick to pick up if the people working for that nonprofit are genuine or fakes.

Ok, let’s say you have all the right people leading your nonprofit so what comes next?

The volunteers, namely your board of directors, must be fully committed. It is unreasonable to expect success on raising money from people outside the organization if those inside are not giving to their full potential.

This finally brings me to a critical point of how your nonprofit markets itself to others.

Is your organization financially transparent on how it operates? Can people clearly see how the money they give makes a real and lasting difference in the lives of others?

A donor is an investor in every sense of the word. They not only want, but expect, to see either a direct or indirect outcome for the contribution they have made. You need to be careful that within the organization everything is not so convoluted that a doubt lingers in the mind of your donors. They must know that their contribution made a difference!

People, now more than ever, will be rethinking every aspect of their life and determining what is important and what is fluff.

For the nonprofit this will mean even a tighter squeeze than in 2009 which will cause either drastic cut backs in services for some or close doors permanently for others.

The year 2010 will be remembered not only as the “Year of The Tiger” but also the year that only the strong survived. If you have not watched a Rocky movie lately now might be the time to rent one and get ready!

To learn more visit: www.nonprofitexpert.com