Jen Love and John Lepp of Agents of Good share 6 Sweet Ways to Show Donor Love …
#1 Remember that Your Donors Want to Feel Good
The part of the brain that lights up when you give to charity is the same part of the brain that lights up when you have sex and when you eat chocolate — it’s the pleasure center of your brain. Giving feels good. So always remember when you’re talking to your donors that they want to feel good and they want to help and fix something. So, think of sex and chocolate and write your donors!
#2 Apply the 80/20 Rule to Your Mail File
If you take 20% of your file, they’re most likely giving 80% of your revenue. With this group, mail them something special like a bigger envelope with lots of handwriting all over it. If you follow the 80/20 rule and you produce this mail pack in house, it will do a lot better than mailing the whole file exactly the same thing.
#3 Use Fundraising Delighters
“Fundraising delighters” are things that you don’t expect to receive from the charities that you love but change your perspective on the experience. This can be things like photographs, postcards and quick video updates.
#4 Create Paper Clip Moments
The power of the paper clip is that computers and machines cannot paper clip. So, when a donor sees a paper clip they feel like there was a human involved with the creation of the mail piece. It’s a very small touch, but it’s very meaningful.
#5 Always Maintain an Abundance Mindset
This one is more for you as a fundraiser, and it’s to always maintain an abundance mindset. There is so much information out there and so much we can look at. So, always keep your mind open to learning new things and surround yourself with people who will challenge you and keep you open to new things.
#6 Thank & Report Back With Double the Effort
When you ask your donors to give and then do so, you must thank them with double the amount of effort that you put into asking them. And you have to report back on what you did with their giving. Only then can you ask them again and repeat this cycle. Make sure you ask them, make sure you thank them and make sure you report back to them on what you did with those funds.