transforming non profit donors into cause owners

E V O LV E F R O M C O M P I L I N G A D O N O R L I S TT O B U I L D I N G A PA S S I O N AT E N E T W O R K

O F A C T I V E PA R T I C I PA N T S I N YO U R C A U S E

Donors to Owners

Donors to Owners

Donors: People who write you a check.It is costly to gain new donors and they are difficult to retain in a marketplace exploding with causes and issues to support.

Owners: People who actively adopt your cause.They champion the cause, become passionate activists and recruit new converts within their personal sphere of influence.

Copyright PBJumpstart 2012

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Converting Donors to Owners Requires Retention.

Communication is essential to donor

retention.

Donors to Owners

Retaining donors, particularly those new to your cause, requires

cultivating a relationship through good communication, fulfilling the promise you have made to utilize

their donations efficiently and creating opportunities for them to

participate with you in a more active and personal way.


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Step 1: Retention46% of donors stop giving due to poor communication.

You can’t create owners if you can’t retain donors.

Step 1: Retention

Donor retention is directly linked with the way you communicate, and often, it’s your communication within the first 90 days that most affects how loyal a donor will become to your cause.


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Donors want to be appreciated, know that they are making a difference and given ways to help perpetuate the cause.

Step 1: Retention

Interact with donors in the first 90 days.

First 48: Thank and WelcomeSend donors a Thank You and Welcome to Our Community message within 48 hours of receiving their donation. If possible, personalize the message with the donor’s

name and amount of contribution. Thank them for their Trust in your ability to help your

cause and to maximize their contribution. The Welcome message should specify your mission and

state the importance of joining this community of individuals who are dedicated to that mission.

Add a fact that stresses the importance of your mission and reminds the donor of what’s at stake.


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Donor Loyalty Programs can raise retention rates by as much as 10-20% and increase both the length of time donors are loyal and the amount they donate.

Step 1: RetentionInteract with Donors in the first 90 days.

Within 30 Days – AcknowledgeSend donors a “See what your donation made possible” message and announcement of their automatic enrollment into your Loyal Donor Acknowledgement Program. Create an emotional connection with the donor by relating

the positive impact of their donation on an individual person/animal/project.

Reward the donor by enrolling them in a special “loyalty” program that acknowledges their contribution and offers special benefits such as earning points for gifts, discounts on products, opportunities to participate, etc.

Always add a fact that shows the critical need that your organization is addressing and how their donation helped meet that need.


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When people are asked for their preferences and opinions, they are more likely to become engaged with your cause beyond writing a check.


Within 60 Days – EngageGive donors the opportunity to give you feedback. The better you know a donor, the more successfully you

can engage them. If you want to know what the donor wants from you, ASK THEM.

Provide donors with options for: communication preferences; main interests in your programs; interest in opportunities to volunteer or otherwise become involved; updating their information; sign-up for optional communications; etc.

Provide donors with a forum for expressing their opinions or sharing their personal experiences with your mission/cause.


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If donors have a good experience with you, they will be more than willing to spread the word and invite others to participate.


Within 90 Days – InvolveOffer donors the opportunity to “Share the Cause” with friends, family, co-workers and the world with multiple channels of communication. When communicating with donors, make sure they always

have options for sharing your cause with others. Create a space (blog, forum, Facebook, Twitter) where

donors are allowed to interact with you. Give donors the option of receiving email updates or

newsletters and invite them to submit personal stories about their involvement with your organization.

Offer donors prizes through contests or challenges that reward them for bringing new converts to your cause.


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Donors want to be assured that you’re a reliable organization that is meeting the mandates you have established.

Step 1: Retention

Communicating over the long term.

Credibility & AccountabilityEnsure donors of your credibility with current facts and figures pertaining to your organizational structure, financial performance and specific successes in meeting your goals. Always be transparent and make current statistics readily

available on your website. Invite credible members of the community to serve on

your board or as advisors to your organization. Ask for and publish testimonials concerning your successes

from reliable and authentic sources. Seek out third-party sources to endorse or list your

organization as a “preferred” non profit. Monitor and promptly respond to negative publicity or

comments circulating about your organization.


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Donors need to feel that your organization is meeting a real need that will affect positive change in their local community or the world.

Step 1: RetentionCommunicating over the long term.

Justify and Quantify the NeedContinuously showcase what is at stake if the need your organization is committed to is not met. Provide donors with statistics on what’s at stake, what it

will take to meet the need and your specific goals. Support the “what’s at stake” with third-party research,

quotes and statistics. Relate the need to someone or something specific to help

create a stronger emotional connection with your donors. Tell donors a story that includes a description of what’s at

stake and a specific example of a resolution of that need due to the efforts of your organization.

Even if what’s at stake is extremely grave, always include something uplifting and light-hearted in communications to prevent donors from “bad news burnout.”


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The more specific you are about what you do, the easier it becomes to enlist others in your cause and engage them in evangelizing that cause.

Step 1: RetentionCommunicating over the long term.

Clearly Articulate Your Services & Link to ResultsSuccinctly describe specific services you offer to meet the needs of your cause and the results achieved with those services. Keep descriptions of your services short and concise. Provide specific examples of how these services work to meet

the goals of your organization and have a positive impact. Relate how a certain dollar amount or a certain number of

volunteer hours is required to perform a particular service. Offer donors the option to select a particular service to

support with their financial contribution and/or to receive communications about in the future.

“Make it real” with short videos of your services in action and always include a recipient or positive impact of that service.

Build a library of testimonials and photographs from recipients of specific services who have realized a positive impact.


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Converting Donors to Owners Requires Activation.

Activating donors requires an effort on

your part.

Donors to Owners

Donor activists are cultivated by enlisting those who are most

passionate about your cause in mini campaigns designed to achieve one specific purpose over a short time

frame. You’ll build a base of reliable donor activists who can be called into

action for specific needs or to respond to a crisis.


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Step 2: ActivationCommunication skills have helped you build a strong base of donors who are prepped and ready to go into action for your cause.

Step 2: Activation

By practicing good communication skills, you’ve built your donor base, solicited their feedback, touched them emotionally and encouraged them to share your cause with the people in their lives. Now you can invite, challenge, empower and reward them.


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Your regular communication with donors has established the kind of rapport needed to call them into action for your cause.

Step 2. ActivationHarnessing the power of your donor base.

Invite Donors to Take ActionInvite donors to go into action for a specific campaign with a clear goal, a theme, a deadline for completion, a singular call to action and a pre-determined method of measuring results. Campaigns should have one objective, such as increasing

membership, raising funds, enlisting advocacy, attending an event, gaining new volunteers, etc.

Identify your most passionate and influential donors and engage them in the early stages of campaign planning to mine fresh creative approaches to spreading your cause.

Put a system in place for measuring the direct results of the campaign efforts and identifying your most influential and successful donor activists.

Enlist corporate, small business or private sponsors that can help defray your costs and donate money, time or products.

Be prepared to reward your influencers with a small gift and/or recognition in future communications and at future events.


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A secondary goal of each campaign should be identifying and enlisting new influencers for your cause.


Challenge Donors to Meet a GoalChallenge your donor activists to reach a specific goal on a deadline. Set an overall goal for the entire campaign. Assign specific goals to individual donor activists that are

attainable within their sphere of personal influence. Create a contest among the donor activists with a reward for

the person/group who sells the most tickets, signs up the most volunteers, etc.

Have a clear and simple call to action that activists find easy to repeat and share.

Encourage donor activists to find a company or person who will match the amount of money they raise for the campaign.


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The actions that donors take for your cause will get better results if donors have the tools and the authority to do the job well.


Empower Donors to Make a DifferenceEmpower donors to take the required action by providing them with the right tools and the authority to represent your cause. Send out a press release to launch the campaign and recognize

your chosen donor influencers. Create a campaign-specific Landing Page on your website with

one simple call to action and “easy button” for complying. Set up a system for activists to report progress and seek

assistance during the campaign. Require all influencers to attend a short campaign kick-off

session where they have a training segment and a rally party. Provide your activists with a feedback mechanism at the end

of the campaign to identify problems encountered and to enlist ideas for future improvements.


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Everyone likes to be recognized for a job well done, even if they don’t take home the gold medal or win the title.


Reward Donors for Their EffortsReward your donor activists with recognition and a celebration event, even if your goals were not fully met. Send out a press release to close the campaign, announce the

results and recognize your donor influencers. Send out Thank You communications within 72 hours of close

of the campaign. Sponsor a celebration event, even if it’s just in the office,

where all influencers can come together and socialize. Invite new donors to the celebration event to help identify

potential future activists. Begin planning the next mini campaign at the celebration

event while passions and ideas are running high.


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Check writers have been transformed into a network of activists!

The manpower fighting for your

cause has exponentially

increased.

Donors to Owners

A part of your donor base is now valued for the strength of their

commitment to your cause in their everyday lives. They wear it on their rolled-up sleeves and carry it in their

hearts, helping you get the results that affect real change.


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Donors to Owners


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Need help transforming your non-profit donors into pro-active owners? Contact PBJumpstart for communication strategy, tactical planning, creative consulting or content development. We’re always looking for a good cause to serve. Visit www.pbjumpstart.com or call 662 988-2166. to learn more about our services.



transforming non profit donors into cause owners

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