Reaching donors during the holidays has become increasingly difficult. From the dozens of requests that they receive from multiple organizations to the hundreds of retail promotions, getting through to potential donors can be tricky. To help you break through the noise, here are a few things that you can do to improve your donor communication and ensure your message is heard this giving season.
- Clearly Communicate Your Goals
Organizations often send out generic messages that fail to make a connection with potential donors. So before writing “It’s that time of year again…” or “The holidays are upon us…,” ask yourself why a donor would be compelled to give to you over another organization. Jump over the generic language and quickly get to the point by telling them what you are already doing to make a difference and how their donation will help you accomplish even more in the coming year. Making a clear connection between their donation and your ministry is key to writing a compelling ask. - Use All the Tools in Your Toolbox
Too often churches and nonprofits only focus on emails for the year-end giving communication campaign. To reach and engage your audience, you need to send multiple messages through multiple channels. Letters, emails, social media, text, and making announcements during sermons or meetings should all be a part of the plan. Go ahead and build a communications schedule now to ensure you compelling content flowing throughout the month to keep donors interested and involved. - Above All, Be Sincere
If your communications are coming off as disingenuous, potential donors will likely ignore them. Again, you are not the only organization filling up their inboxes this time of year, so make it your main goal to create interesting and compelling messages. Share real stories about how past donations have helped you reach those in need and you will form an emotional connection with donors that will last well into the new year. - Don't Forget to Follow-up
Always keep in mind that out of all the ministries and nonprofits out there, your donors chose you to support. Imagine how you’d feel if you hand-picked an organization to donate to and then only heard from when they were asking for donations again. Make sure to send out regular follow-up messages thanking those who’ve contributed and share how your organization was able to grow its mission because of their generosity. Heartfelt appreciation will inspire generosity and will help your mission to flourish.
If you’d like to learn more about how Kindrid can help streamline your year-end giving efforts, please reach out to us at (616) 419-8812 or sayhello@kindrid.com if we can assist you in any way.
