I’m going to let you into one of my pet peeves and perhaps, before I’m done, I’ll be picking up Herschel Gordon Lewis’ moniker “Curmudgeon-at-Large.” Really I don’t want to be curmudgeonly but there are things that I’ve run across over the course of more than 30 years raising funds for organizations that I’ve heard over and over again.

What I wish is that I had a nickel for every time I heard the phrase “we’re the best kept secret.”  I’m pretty sure I could retire on my own private island by now.  Ok, truth be told, I’ve probably said it a time or two in the past myself. But it irks me no less.

It’s not that the organization is or isn’t well known.  It’s that the statement really means “if more people knew about my organization then they’d give.” It sounds so simple. But . . .

. . . it simply is not true.

Just knowing about your organization won’t automatically generate more revenue or donors to your organization.  Over my many years of work within this environment, I’ve found just one thing to really impact the success and growth of an organization.

Hard work.

From time-to-time Billy Vaudry, DSA’s Vice President of Creative Services, and I commiserate about the number of organizations that are looking for the easy answer to every problem . . . especially when it comes to generating income. So many seem to believe that they deserve donations rather than working hard to earn donations through building effective relationships.

And it’s something that’s going to get more difficult in the coming years.  That’s because donors are changing.

As Boomers and GenXers and Millennials become donors they want to become closer to being the solution. They want to participate and they’re not content to give to organizations. Unfortunately over the last 15 years the trust level towards organizations has dropped dramatically and all too often it’s because a non-profit organization has done something to damage trust.

So what do I mean by hard work?

I mean the hard work of developing the right offers to the right audience that is delivered at the right time. Just introducing people to what you do won’t cut it.

How are you going to involve donors in changing lives? How well are you telling your story? Not the story of what you do but the story of people whose lives have been changed as a result of a donor’s generous giving.  And when you tell your story, you’ll need to do so in a way that connects with your current and prospective donors.

Now before you tell me to untie the bowtie and loosen the top button, let me tell you about a recent event I attended. A friend asked me to sit in on a fundraising presentation and provide some feedback on how to improve the results of their ministry.  Frankly, he used the magic phrase “we’re the best kept secret. . .”

I can’t say that the presentation was horrible but it was clear that the presentation wasn’t really meant for the audience.  It fit the needs of the person making the presentation and that was the biggest part of the problem. There was a lot of great information but didn’t really connect with the audience because they couldn’t really fathom the reality that was being communicated.

At the end the speaker couldn’t understand why his message wasn’t connecting more with the prospective donors.  The message he delivered was meant for and worked with a completely different audience. You know what? He’s not alone!

So many organizations believe if they just tell people more about what they do . . . how they do that work . . . or why they do their work . . . it will generate more income.  And I guess the other reason that this phrase irritates me is that information or news is far different from motivating someone to part with their hard-earned dollars.

It’s not about what you or I think should be.  It’s about what is. And the only people that can really tell you what is are your potential donors.  Why not ask them what they care about? If it matches what you can accomplish, then you might have a chance to motivate them to support your organization.  If not, you’ll have to move on.

It’s time to roll up your sleeves and polish up your offers. It’s time to tell your story in a way that engages the prospective donors’ interest in your efforts. It may not be easy but it’s well worth the effort.

One of the benefits of old age is you get to see a lot over the years.  Having literally grown up in the not-for-profit world, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting people from thousands of organizations. And what’s always amazed me is that there’s one phrase that embodies every single one of these organizations. It’s:

“We’re unique. There’s no other organization like ours.”

Now I know what you’re thinking. “But we really are unique!” You know what? You’re absolutely right. Your organization is unique.  That’s why you exist as an organization.

It’s not really the uniqueness of your organization over which you and I may have a kerfuffle. It’s the unstated belief that underlies that statement. And here it is:

“Because we’re unique we don’t need to follow the standard principles of fundraising.”

Oh, it’s not really stated that boldly all the time but that’s what’s being implied. Frankly, I love new things . . . new ideas . . . breaking the rules. I’d like nothing better than for this to be true.

But it’s not.

Let me explain.  If you think about snowflakes (okay some of you may be thinking I’m a little flakey right now), each and every one is unique (or so they say). But if the temperature is over a certain amount, you don’t have snowflakes, you have rain.  And pretty much, every drop is the same.

Or perhaps you can think about it in a different way.  Each and every one of us is unique. No two of us are alike.  Not even twins or triplets or quadruplets or well, you get the point. I have a twin brother. We’re not identical, really, in any way.  I have a friend with identical twin sons. They look pretty much the same (though you can tell them apart) but their personalities are uniquely their own.

But . . .

Even though there’s no one like me in the world, I can’t decide to walk off the balcony here on the third floor of the DSA offices and hope to walk on air.  I’m going to drop three stories and likely break a leg if not worse.

No Wile E. Coyote legs spinning in the air to get back to the balcony. Just flat out drop to the ground. Why? It’s because I’m still subject to Newton’s law of gravity.  My uniqueness doesn’t allow me to break any of the principles that control life.

It’s the same for your organization. You are unique but all the principles of effective fundraising still apply to you.  That’s not to say that you have to apply those principles just like everyone else but the principles apply just the same. How you apply those principles can be unique to your organization.

So let’s get creative.

I’m so often reminded when I speak with people about the impact of social media in today’s crowded environment of that scene in “Field of Dreams” when Kevin Costner is walking through the corn field and hears a voice saying “if you build it, he will come.”

Isn’t that what so many people and companies have told you?  If you build a social media presence, your donors and friends will come. Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out that way, has it?

Now don’t get me wrong.  I’m as big an advocate for social media as just about anyone.  I love the potential it has to build and strengthen engagement with your partners.  But it’s a lot more than just starting a Facebook page or opening a Twitter account. Frankly, too many organizations have missed the first rule for social media.

It’s being social!

You’d think it would be easy to do but so many organizations are using this medium to do nothing but broadcast the same messages they’re broadcasting in all the other channels.  More than anything else, this medium is designed to encourage social engagement.  It’s not just about telling people about who you are and what you do but inviting people into conversation with you.

I still hear a lot of my old friends in the industry talking about how social media is a waste of time.  And, if it’s used wrong, it can be.  However, some organizations are utilizing the medium to develop meaningful engagements with their customers and donors.  I’ve found myself connecting with people whose only previous connection has been through social media.

I was recently at a convention in Orlando when I tweeted for folks to stop by our booth to test their Social Media IQ.  This tweet was re-tweeted by another presenter at the conference.  I hadn’t met him before but I was following him.  I simply thanked him for his re-tweet and a conversation began and it’s an ongoing conversation.  I also invited him to stop by the booth and take the IQ test himself.

I told him that I would be the one in the bow tie.  To which he responded that HE would be the one in the bow tie.  Yes, you guessed it. I found a fellow bow tie aficionado.

You have to know that I’ve been following what he’s been saying for some time.  It’s not just that his name is Marc or that he wears a bow tie. It’s that he understands the role of engagement with donors and friends. We ended up meeting at one of the events.

And Marc isn’t the only one I’ve begun to develop relationships with utilizing social media.  Sadly, there are too many organizations that are doing nothing to engage me in conversation.  Nor are they trying to engage their supporters in conversation.  Their communication is nothing more than meaningless blather.  On Twitter, they’re spamming me 140 characters at a time.

If you want to be heard above the noise that surrounds social media, take a few minutes and listen! You might be surprised by what you learn – and how you begin to build relationships with your partners and friends.

At the end of the day, personalization in the donor’s mind really means outstanding customer service.

In the nonprofit world we call this stewardship or perhaps donor relations — but customer service, personalization, and stewardship are beginning to blend together into the basic concept of providing the best possible donor experience possible.

Organizations realize that to build long-termloyalty and increase retention, the organization must provide exceptional,personalized customer service that speaks to the consumer’s heart and mind in a compelling way.

So . . . put the PERSON back in personalized

How do you do this?  Here are some tried-and-true ideas to get you jump started.

Handwritten notes: Write true handwritten notes from the Executive Director to specific donors.  Include personal details about the donor and well wishes directed to the individual donor.  Make it as heartfelt and genuine as possible.

Pray for your donors: Genuinely pray for your donors on a regular basis; ask for prayer requests and, in turn, ask them to pray for you.

Return complaint phone calls: Even though you really don’t want to, you need to return negative calls and apologize as needed.  More importantly, invite the donor to increase their engagement — not just their giving but their personal engagement with your organization. Invite them on a personal tour or to a reception or another gathering.  This will not only disarm them, it will go far in drawing the donor into a deeper relationship with you and help make them feel heard and appreciated.

Make personal phone calls: Forget email or snail-mail — call the donor on the phone.  There is nothing like one-on-one personal interaction.  This is how true relationships are built and strengthened.  Email and other means of communicating simply will never do what a personal face-to-face visit or a personal phone call will accomplish.  Even if you can’t reach them on the phone, a heartfelt voice message can have the same impact.

Personally deliver a donation receipt letter: Wow, how powerful could this be?  Stopping by a donor’s office or residence to personally hand them their receipt and give them a thank-you in person.  This clearly isn’t something you can do with every donor but I am certain you may know of specific donors with whom this might work well.

Use social media: Social media can be impersonal for sure, but look for ways to personalize it.  For instance, if someone tweets or posts a comment on your blog, you should respond to them through the same medium.  This lets the person know that you are listening to them and willing to engage in a one-on-one conversation.  It’s simple and seems fleeting, but it can be just as powerful as any other connection with a
constituent.

You’ll have many other ways to add the genuine, personal touch.  Just remember
– whenever and wherever possible, be personally connected to those who have shown an interest in your organization.  This can help differentiate your nonprofit from your peers and help build loyalty and increase retention — both of which will have a positive impact to your bottom-line.

Today people are much more savvy and tuned into “techniques” and shallow or insincere communication.  They just are.  Consequently we must avoid tactics that are overly formulaic, insincere, and contrived.

The objective of personalization needs to move away from solely incorporating basic tactical solutions that make communication seem personalized to actually being personalized.

Study after study and test after test have proved that personalization, such as using the donor’s name, always performs better than non-personalized communications.  The data are irrefutable and widely available.