I’m always on the lookout for smart, creative, clever campaigns. Doesn’t matter if it’s nonprofits or for-profits. I love to watch, learn and share.
Share Impact
A few weeks ago a friend sent me this video. Watch and enjoy:
This is the original link where it appeared.
The campaign is a few years old and I had never seen it. I watched and smiled.
The friend who forwarded it to me said, “Talk about making impact tangible! It’s awesome. I love the faces of the donors. It’s almost like they can’t resist donating when they SEE their impact.”
He’s 100% right.
Not only that but watch the full video to see how MISEREOR turned a one-time donation into an ongoing one.
Tell Supporters How They’re Making A Difference
An area where I believe nonprofits could improve is impact sharing. People donate to your organization to solve a problem. They want to know: Was the problem solved? Who was helped? How were they helped?
You can’t ask people to donate money to make their community a better place but then not tell them whether they accomplished that or not!
For example, take thank you letters.
Does yours begin with:
A. Thank you for your donation of $100 to our end-of-year campaign
B. Thank you for providing one week of meals for Sandra and her family.
If yours starts with A, then you’re making the donation a transaction and turning supporters into cash cows. What matters most is the money.
If B, then you’re leading with impact and making sure people know how their gift was used.
Sharing impact is an ongoing, year-round endeavor. All your fundraising and marketing materials should be involved in this effort.
Whether through storytelling, data visualization, quotes, testimonials, pictures, video, blog posts and more, your organization has multiple avenues, platforms and ways to tell an individual donor how they’re making the world a better place.
As my friend said above, you’re allowing them to SEE the impact of their gift. Doing that will ensure they give again and will boost your donor retention rate.
Screenshot courtesy of YouTube
An End Or Beginning?
A donation is never the end of the road. It’s just a beginning.
If donors give, receive a thank you note and that’s the last time they hear from you until the next campaign, many donors will stop giving.
After a donation comes great gratitude. And then you should be engaging the donor with stories, data, video and other content so they can see the impact of their gift. Make them feel good about doing good.
They’ll give again and again and again.
You don’t have to be as clever as the video above. But you DO have to share impact all the time with your supporters.
Looking to keep your supporters informed about the impact they’re having in their community? Email is a great platform for doing that! Check out my email services and let’s work together so email boosts your organization’s fundraising and marketing efforts.
