Relationship-building is a key factor for nonprofit organizations’ fundraising efforts. Cultivating relationships with your supporters encourages them to give both in the moment and in the future. However, the current COVID-19 pandemic can add stress to these relationships and make it difficult for organizations to maintain connections with their donors.
However, communication during a crisis is the most important way to show your supporters that you care about them and their well-being. This is because it presents an opportunity to show those donors empathy and gratitude past what is usual for your organization.
We recommend the following effective strategies to maintain your connections with supporters during this time of crisis:
- Call your supporters.
- Don’t stop fundraising.
- Host virtual events.
- Show additional gratitude.
We’ll dive deeper into each of these strategies so that your organization can implement them into your strategy in a way that works for you. All of these tips can be accomplished from the comfort of your own homes if you and your staff members are working from home.
Let’s get started.
1. Call your supporters.
One of the first things you can do to establish and nurture a connection with your supporters is to call your donors. Calling your donors allows for a full conversation between both you and the supporter, which provides a personal channel with which to reach out.
Use the information in your nonprofit’s donor database to make the material in the conversation personal as well. This shows your donors that you care about their interests and have paid attention during past interactions with them. For instance, you may use data such as:
- Family names. Ask your supporter how they’re doing and how their family members are doing. Asking this right off the bat shows them that their and their family’s well-being is your first priority.
- Company data. Ask your supporters about how their companies are handling the crisis. Many may have been furloughed, so be sure to approach this conversation with caution. However, this can indicate whether they can give amid this difficult situation. Plus, some companies may have corporate matching gift programs that can further encourage supporters to contribute.
- Engagement data. Talk to your donors about their most recent engagement with your organization. If they attended a virtual event, ask them how they enjoyed it. If they contributed time or money, be sure to be extra appreciative of their generosity.
When it’s possible, we recommend using a webcam rather than just a phone call. A lot of communication during conversation comes from the non-verbal cues that we receive from the other person.
This means you should allow supporters to see your facial expressions and visual cues and encourage them to also communicate in a way that allows you access to these communication signals.
2. Don’t stop fundraising.
One of the biggest mistakes that nonprofits make during times of crisis is pausing fundraising strategies. If you stop fundraising altogether, your nonprofit will undoubtedly run into hard times in the coming months. You’ll miss out on the potential fundraising opportunities that are still out there.
However, you may want to tweak your fundraising strategies in response to the difficulties that individuals are facing while adjusting to this “new normal.” This CharityEngine guide on multi-channel fundraising explains how your organization can use data to better personalize and customize fundraising messages to your supporters in order to increase your fundraising potential. This guide suggests that you:
- Ask your supporters how they prefer to give to your organization or infer their preferences based on past methods of giving.
- Ask (or infer) the marketing channels with which supporters want your nonprofit to communicate news or updates with them.
- Build out your social media strategies to reach new audiences. For instance, use Facebook to post long-form content, Twitter for short updates, and Instagram for images representing the work your organization has accomplished.
Hyper-personalization and relationship-building strategies are extra important during times of crisis. It’s imperative that you show your supporters that your nonprofit has their best interests at heart. Take the above strategies to heart and re-visit your personalization strategies to ensure you’re reaching your supporters effectively to accomplish your fundraising goals.
3. Host virtual events.
Your nonprofit likely spent months planning for your next big event, whether it was an auction, conference, or charity gala. Instead of completely giving up on your fundraising events this year due to social distancing guidelines, your nonprofit can choose to move these events into the virtual sphere.
This article explains how your nonprofit can start planning for your next virtual fundraising event. The steps recommended include:
- Decide if your nonprofit wants to launch a peer-to-peer fundraising event or if you want to host a simulated attendance event.
- Set up your event with peer-to-peer fundraising tech, webcams, information emails, event activities, and registration landing pages.
- Make sure to test the technology you plan to use for the event a few times before it begins.
Plan out both stewardship and fundraising events that your nonprofit can host for your supporters. This shows that you’re working to help supporters get the socialization they crave during these times in addition to raising the funds you need to keep your nonprofit open.
4. Show additional gratitude.
Gratitude is more important than ever during times of crisis because it’s harder than ever for supporters to contribute funds and time to your nonprofit. Just as you’re pressed for funds, so are your supporters. Therefore, their gifts mean that much more.
Send emails and letters to supporters who contribute to your campaigns during the crisis. Be sure to express how much their contributions mean to you. Fundraising Letters offers thank-you templates for these messages that your nonprofit can use to make sure you don’t forget any vital information in these communications.
Even if a nonprofit supporter can’t give now, consider sending them a letter of gratitude for their past engagement with your nonprofit. This shows that your organization still values them and hasn’t forgotten about their contributions, even if they’ve fallen on hard times now.
Maintaining connections and relationships with supporters is difficult in the best of times. During a crisis, it’s even harder. However, when you nurture these relationships, your nonprofit will find success even during difficult times. Plus, you’ll end up on top after the crisis ends. These four tips will help you get started. Good luck!
Leigh Kessler is VP of Marketing and Communications at donor management software platform CharityEngine and a frequent speaker on branding, fundraising, data and technology. He is a former nationally touring headline comedian and has appeared on numerous TV shows including VH1’s “Best Week Ever”, CNN’s “Showbiz Tonight”, Discovery Channel & Sirius Radio. He has overseen and informed research and branding strategies for some of the most well known brands in America.
