Hello fundraisers!
Gemma from GWD here. I’m starting a new series called #CharityChatTuesday where I share my thoughts on recent happenings and observations around the charitable landscape.
Any feedback would be welcome. I hope you find it interesting.
Keep reading to find out how asking the hard questions can lead to longer supporter relationships.
Gemma Collier
Marketing Content Coordinator, GWD
With younger generations giving more and more sporadically.
And a challenging economic climate, paired with the decline in cash.
Making the most of the support you get is key.
Turning one-off donors into regular givers and regular givers into legacies etc.
But how do you do this?
The answer, I’m afraid, is “use your data”.
Data can often be a dirty term for charities.
With a need to differentiate charity practice from that of businesses.
‘Don’t be too direct’, ‘Don’t be pushy’, ‘Don’t ask for lots of money’, ‘Don’t collect contact details’, ‘Just don’t ask too much!’
Fundraisers don’t want to ask an already-contributing member of their community to give even more.
But as my mother used to tell me: ‘Don’t ask, don’t get!’
So, it’s not about whether you ask for more from your donors, it’s about how you ask for more from your donors.
And I don’t just mean more money right away, I’m talking about asking for donor contact details, asking visitors to sign up as volunteers, asking people to spread the word, get involved in fundraising events…
All proven as valuable ways to nurture life long, committed givers.
You know your mission is important, but I guarantee the public don’t know just how important it is without being shown first.
Translating your charity’s mission into tangible, real-life stories gives the donor something to invest in.
Both financially and emotionally.
It’s your job to make people care.
But how do you build this audience? Asking for contact details is hard.
Think like a business (just briefly). Use technology!
Remove the social aspect of it entirely.
Whether it’s through online donation forms, on-site contactless devices, digital newsletters…
Get technology to ask the hard questions, while your team focus on having the meaningful conversations.
And turn a one-off donation into a lifetime of support.
Recent data from Wood For Trees found that emailable supporters give £35 more over a 7-year period compared to non-emailable supporters.
Like I said earlier: If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
What have you got to lose?
Find out more
Read more about the charity 'soft opt-in'
Discover what's possible with the Donation Station's 'Conversation Starter'
Who are GWD?
We help socially-minded organisations transition to digital systems, building stronger relationships through impactful products and services.
Our experience goes back two decades, with a foundation building and providing critical digital services and products for the financial services and retail industries.
With a long-proven ability to handle challenging projects and a team of trusted experts, we work hard to solve problems and deliver change that helps others.
