When I was a young fundraiser starting out in major gifts (a story for another day…), I was paired with a much more seasoned fundraiser who was to serve as a mentor. This man, my curmudgeon turned champion, was a veritable font of fundraising adages. And that's saying something in a field with no shortage of quips, quotes, and quibbles. One thing that he said that I still carry with me in my donor relations work today is this: "Always be prepared to ask your donors for something."
Record scratch Colton, are you saying we should always ask our donors for money?! Doesn't that go against everything you teach at DRG?! And even common sense?! Relax and read on for more, friends.
What that veteran fundraiser (in this case literal–a US Army veteran) was trying to teach me was that our interactions with donors need to have purpose. Donors give to our organizations for many reasons, but at the root of all of them is the desire to make a difference and to respond to a call to action. Our interactions with donors must carry the same sense of momentum and progress. A quick little test for you to see if you're passing my mentor's test—put on your donor hat (if you have a literal one, send pics) and read your email (or request for a donor visit) with this question in mind: now that you've read (or accepted a meeting), what should you do?
By sharing this oft-repeated maxim, my mentor was imparting this universal truth: the most valuable resource our donors give us is their time. And, by virtue of our human brains, their attention.
Over the years, this truism has proven to be virtually limitless in application, particularly to those of us who are daring to shift our donor engagement models from a top-down approach to an all-in model. That is, those of us who are working to offer meaningful engagement opportunities for donors not based on their gift amount amount, but rather based on demonstrated behaviors.
When you think of donor engagement, what's the first thing that comes to mind? For many of us in the field, the answer is board service. For very good reasons, board service should be limited to a select few donors, community members, and civic leaders. But how can we engage other donors, particularly those who may not have the philanthropic and social capital that boards require? And how can we engage them without using money as the pyramid or funnel that narrows our pool?
Take a look at the graphic below. It's something that I created to try to get folks thinking about the spectrum of engagement, starting with those opportunities that impact the most people and are the most time-efficient to create. Shifting our engagement framework to efficiency is necessary when dealing with the "all-in" approach that behavior-based engagement requires.
Many busy nonprofit professionals skip past storytelling when designing an efficient donor engagement plan. And I think that's a HUGE missed opportunity! Take a look at this example from the World Wildlife Fund. Here are two different opportunities for me to engage or "do something" related to my nonprofit passions. I could learn more about tigers and even see some photos of them in the wild or learn how to save my favorite animal, the Florida manatee. (Sidebar: children will ask you your favorite animal, and it is helpful to have one in your back pocket. Consider yourself forewarned.) This email is asking me to **do** something by reading it. To take this back to our behavior-based model of engagement, this email could be sent to all donors (regardless of amount) who gave to conservation funds. Or, to take it a step further, matched to the animal conservation area that the specific donor supported. Using variable text and a couple of different stories/profiles, you could provide a personalized engagement opportunity for donors at scale.
This gorgeous email from Save the Children is a wonderful example of storytelling that extends an opportunity for donor engagement. And I love that call to action! This email is welcoming donors to the Save the Children family, creating that sense of community, and also providing donors an opportunity to learn more about the work that this organization accomplishes.
Moving along in our continuum of engagement at scale, let's take a look at meaningful volunteerism. The evidence is clear–volunteers turn to donors (at their own pace and capacity), and donors who volunteer give more. In fact, one study suggests that Americans who volunteered gave 10 times as much money to charity in a year than those who did not. But how can you engage with thousands (or even millions) of donors who may be located around the world? Let's take a look at some great examples below.
This adorable email from Boston Children's is a great example of asking donors to volunteer their time in a way that isn't beholden to location or simultaneity. What a great way to give the warm and fuzzies! I've seen organizations do something similar that populate these messages on digital displays throughout the organization's headquarters or care locations. In this way, donors can feel like they're doing something other than donating money to help the children they care about.
The example below from the American Heart Association (AHA) is another wonderful showcase of the power of online engagement. This email asks donors to sign a pledge to learn hands-free CPR, an important initiative for the AHA. I love this as a way to create awareness and allow donors to engage their friends and family in their philanthropic passions–I can forward this and make an "ask" of my network that doesn't involve money! Now. About money. As with every engagement opportunity, don't use it as an opportunity to ask for another gift. Or convert donors to monthly givers. These engagement opportunities should serve as a way for the donor to get closer to the impact of their giving—not make an additional donation.
Remember when we all had to pivot (shudder word) to hybrid or remote events in 2020? Yeah, me neither…
Organizations that have stuck with the virtual events have found some noted benefits, including providing donors around the world with the opportunity to engage with them. Take a look at this virtual event invitation from Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT). MCHT is inviting donors to "learn more about the impact [their] generosity makes possible" "from the comfort of [their] own favorite chair". LOVE! Because at their core, inspired & strategic events should do just that—allow donors to experience what their giving actually powers, fuels, and drives. Plus, if donors can't attend the event, they can still engage with this email, including meeting some new baby calves (adorable!).
From a behavior-based perspective, DRG recommends creating special virtual events exclusively for monthly donors. It allows them to feel connected to a community of passionate supporters and allows nonprofits to show a little love to this important group of people—people who, according to AFP's Fundraising Effectiveness Project, are retained at nearly twice the rate of average donors. Think about creating virtual events like roundtable discussions with organizational leadership (mics off, questions submitted in advance), behind-the-scenes tours with charismatic team members, live conversations with beneficiaries, and virtual performances with exciting artists—there really is no limit to what nonprofits can do in this space. But don't limit your exclusive virtual events just to monthly donors—think about how meaningful it would be to receive an invitation to an exclusive event as a first-time donor. A roundtable with leadership would be an amazing way to feel welcomed into the fold and definitely improve that dismal first-time donor retention rate.
At the peak of time involvement and impacting the smallest number of people are personalized experiences. It can be truly magical when nonprofits make philanthropy come alive for their supporters. But remember–what do you want donors to do when they are with you?
Here are some brilliant ideas to create events that engage donors, not just treat them to a banquet-style dinner:
Use an unusual space—an airplane hanger, a vineyard, a barn, a shipping container, a museum, a baseball field, etc. One of my friends in higher education took donors on an underground tour of campus, allowing them into not-publicly-seen spaces like the nuclear engineering reactor—and donors LOVED it!
Create hands-on or educational "exhibits"—Bring in your faculty, research students, alumni, grateful patients or families, rescue animals—anyone who has benefited from donor generosity—and let them shine! Think about how you can create a magical interaction through activities and PLAY. Need ideas on how to do this? Go to a children's museum for inspiration. I'm fortunate to have the world's largest children's museum in my hometown of Indianapolis, and I never cease to be inspired by how they create immersive, educational experiences.
Take 'em on the road–rather than having one big event, what if you could create smaller, regional events? Your guests will LOVE the intimate gathering and the opportunity to bring your organization to their neighborhoods.
With a behavior-based approach, I would encourage you to "seed" your guest lists with planned giving donors. Many nonprofits have planned giving societies that accept members who have disclosed (sans amount) that the organization is in their estate plans. We like this approach, but that creates this truly false hierarchy that planned gift donors aren't as valuable as other donors. Not true, look at the research! So, at your organization's next big pinnacle event, invite your top supporters and your planned gift donors. They deserve that engagement, too!
Fundraising is full of well-worn adages, but few have stuck with me like "Always be prepared to ask your donors for something."
Our work in donor relations is about extending invitations to step into a story—to see generosity in action. To feel, in ways big and small, a part of something that matters. These invitations shouldn't just be available for our top donors but should be offered to all donors. Because every donor deserves it and because it will pay dividends for your fundraising program in the long run.
If we can master this approach—designing engagement opportunities that don't just acknowledge generosity but activate it—we can build stronger, longer-lasting relationships with our donors. That is what transforms giving from a transaction into a lifelong journey of impact. And what makes our work so dang fun!
Written by Colton Withers
Colton Withers, Director of Operations, is a consultant and educator who has helped clients inspire donors through exceptional communications, building and implementing innovative programs, designing and analyzing surveys, and training employees on the art and science of donor relations.
