7 Steps to Building Strong Relationships with Private Donors
Tough times in fundraising? When have times ever been easy? Every time gives us opportunities to practice our skills, find and implement new tools, develop and move forward. Only if we make those choices. We often say that fundraising is about building relationships. Relationships are always about two people or a group of people. We don't build relationships with our phone, the TV remote or the kettle in the kitchen. We each take steps to meet each other to show our loyalty, to express our feelings, to strengthen the bond.

Today we've put together a selection of seven ideas - how to strengthen relationships with private donors. These are specific actions or steps you can do or implement right now after reading this. Some of them are directly related to communication with donors, and some of them are only preparatory or, on the contrary, fundamental, strengthening the base that you have already managed to create.
  • 1
    October is the time to make resolutions. Make up your mind right now about your plans for the New Year.
    Yes, we are talking about the New Year fundraising campaign. A fundraising campaign is a tool for working with private donors, and each of us conducts them from time to time. The most common campaign is the New Year's campaign. Look at the campaigns you have done in previous years, what they were for, what the collection goals were. Check them for relevance and, most importantly, adequacy to the situation. Should you open a campaign this season to collect gifts for your wards? Or perhaps you should look at supporting your core business.
  • 2
    Tell your donors how your organization can support them now.
    Yes, these are not classic letters with stories about what you have going on, with cases to collect and results of your activity. It's time to tell about your services as a product. What products do you create? And which ones can your donors benefit from? Psychological counseling, animal hotel, speech therapy classes, sports training, creative workshops and much, much more. Think about what activities you do for your beneficiaries could be useful to other categories today. Maybe it's reaching new markets?
  • 3
    Create a supporting email - a series that fills your donors with meaning.
    Donors are just like you, with their own fears, anxieties and worries. Support them with stories, tips and picks. Give them stories that will breathe new meaning into their lives. Be a support to them - just as they are to you at all times.
  • 4
    Keep a positive balance in your social media and in the content you produce.
    Revisit all the material you've released to the world in the last month. Reread all the comments, all the posts. Maybe you can identify the toxic people who caused you to stop logging into your accounts. Maybe someone should be blocked or comments closed for now if you don't have the resource to handle them. See if all comments have gotten a response to date. Analyze what percentage of positive content is present on your pages, do you manage to keep a balance, can you say that your organization is an island of stability and well-being in a raging ocean of events?
  • 5
    Embrace your donors, literally, set the stage for a face-to-face meeting.
    Open house? A friends day? A creative evening? The format can be anything. The key is to get people to come to you. Organize a chamber offline event. Not a global one - a charity concert or a city marathon. Just a get-together for friends. You know, the kind you can come to and exhale. Like coming home, kicking off your shoes, collapsing on the couch and turning on some music. Try to recreate those feelings of calm and comfort for your guests. Make an aim list and send personal invitations to everyone. If you have a lot of donors, do a series of gatherings, spreading friends out over different days or different weeks.
  • 6
    Do an ABC analysis to rebuild your private donor base, it's time to understand what has changed over the year.
    Haven't done it yet? Read on the Internet about this method of prioritizing (determining the importance of) resources. Or not only resources, ABC analysis helps to determine the popularity of product lines, for example. Of course, it is a working tool for donor allocation as well. It is based on the Pareto principle - twenty percent of people bring eighty percent of resources. Look at how many donors brought you eighty percent of all revenue this year. How long have you been identifying that segment and personalizing communications with them? Nothing is as reassuring as getting your donor base in order.
  • 7
    Give more attention to those donors who paid attention to you during the year.
    Just based on the ABC analysis from the previous paragraph. You'll have a list of 20-40 names or some other data that it's time to take to the next level. No, not to a new level of donations and average checks, but to a new level of relationships. You know, it's reminiscent of the popular articles in the series, "How to get out of the Friendzone." Move your donors out of the friendzone and into your inner circle. You can call them if you have a phone number, write a personal letter (not a general mailing) via e-mail, write in messenger. Just thank them, tell them that they are the top 20 who influence the viability of the organization, emphasize their importance and significance for you.
Take action. Our happiness is in our hands - a popular phrase that never loses its relevance. When you feel like everything around you is falling apart, become the Atlanteans who hold the world of your organization on their shoulders.