As you probably know Giving Tuesday is right around the corner. This year it’s on November 27th.
I have seen nonprofits spend so much time this year working on their campaigns, creating buzz and excitement, thinking of ways to bring in new donors and get supporters excited before year-end.
But what happens after the donation comes in?
What’s the plan to keep these new donors and bring them into the fold long term, after November 27th?
We know what donors want.
They keep telling us, and we keep ignoring them and pushing out own agenda.
Check out the National Donor Commitment Study by Donor Voice – it tell us that donors give again and again to nonprofits where:
- The organization is perceived to be effective
- The donor knows what to expect with each interaction
- The donor receives a timely thank you
- There are Opportunities to make views known
- Donor feels like they are part of an important cause
- Donor feels that their involvement is appreciate
- Donor receives info showing who is being helped
What’s your plan to give this, and even more, to your new donors?
In my latest Facebook Live video, I detail 3 ways that you can surprise and delight your donors in order to deepen the relationship and bring them into the fold:
If you want even more tips like this, join me for a 90 minute live webinar, How to Create a New Donor Welcome System for Your Nonprofit Using Your Website, Email, and Social Media. Sign up at https://hp156.isrefer.com/go/system/campbell/
1) Surprise them with a personalized video.
For their 5th birthday, charity:water got employees and volunteers together in their office to make over 1,000 personalized donor videos.
They wore wigs and costumes and called out donors by their names.
Watch the video of how they did it, and see some of their thank you videos for inspiration.
Make a personalized video for some of your donors, or all of them, on Giving Tuesday.
Use their name and the amount that they gave in the thank you.
The tools needed? Just your smartphone!
Camera shy? Create a short video with graphics and text detailing 3 accomplishments that you are especially proud of, from the last week or month.
This can be a simple photo montage, rather than a traditional video featuring people talking or moving.
Use donor-centric language, such as “We could not have done this without you!” and “Without your support, this would not have been possible.”
My new favorite video app has been called Canva for video, is Typito. Check it out at https://typito.com/create
2) Have a special plan for third party donors.
Third party donors rocked Giving Tuesday last year, especially on Facebook.
What are third party donors?
They are people who donated because someone they know and trust asked them to, rather than receiving a solicitation directly from your nonprofit.
This is how Facebook Fundraisers work.
Nonprofits skeptical of Giving Tuesday and/or Facebook fundraising take note:
**15% of all donations made on Giving Tuesday 2017 were on Facebook;
**$45 million in donations were processed;
**473,000 donors gave to nonprofits via Facebook fundraising tools;
**Three-quarters of these donors had not previously donated via Facebook.
It’s not surprising that most of the gifts to nonprofits via Facebook Fundraisers came from the creators and from their friends.
What IS surprising is that about 20% of those same donors gave AGAIN via Facebook within 6 months!
Something else that shocked me – the percentage of donations that came from people unconnected to the creator of the Fundraiser was DOUBLE what usually happens on a typical day.
The main challenge with the donors that come in via Facebook Fundraisers is that many of them don’t elect to share their contact information with you.
If you have their contact info, send these donors a special email thanking them specifically for giving via Facebook on Giving Tuesday.
When you send a thank you message referring to the specific way that they gave and the reason that they gave, it does 2 things:
- Shows that you are paying attention.
- Reminds them that someone they trust loves your organization.
For the amazing people running these Facebook Fundraisers for you, make sure you are thanking them and acknowledging their hard work!
Make a Thank You video and send it via Facebook messenger or email to any lovely soul who is raising money for you on Giving Tuesday.
Include a call to action in the video and a link where their friends and family can sign up to get more information from you if they are interested.
If they don’t want to share their contact information with you, that’s their prerogative. Move on.
3) Create an infographic detailing the impact of the Giving Tuesday campaign.
You can create beautiful looking infographics right in my favorite graphic design platform, Canva.
Show your new donors what they were a part of on Giving Tuesday.
“This is what we did because of you” – People like to be a part of something bigger than themselves and they want to see what their donations accomplished.
You can get it professionally printed and put it in your thank you letters, put it on your website, add it to emails.
Remind people why they gave. Remind them what inspired them.
Don’t ask again too soon. Thank and show impact FIRST.
Work on building trust. They may not know much about you at first.
It’s up to you to woo them and make them fall in love.
So there you have it – just 3 easy things you can do to surprise and delight your new donors on Giving Tuesday!
If you want even more tips like this, join me for a 90 minute live webinar, How to Create a New Donor Welcome System for Your Nonprofit Using Your Website, Email, and Social Media. Sign up at https://hp156.isrefer.com/go/system/campbell/