Worried About Over-Soliciting Your Donors? Don’t Be!

4 Tips to Ask Often Without Feeling Annoying

1. Use multiple communication channels

Your message will feel fresh to your community when you reach out to them through a variety of media. Think about how you use different methods of communication – like texting, emails, letters, phone calls, and face-to-face time – in your daily life, and how your donors might use them as well. Do you get annoyed when a friend texts you after you just saw them for a coffee date? Or are you happy they kept the conversation going?

Remember: The medium is the message

You can even use different communication channels for different styles and levels of formality. Your Instagram account might be the perfect place for lighthearted memes, while your direct mail appeals are right for heartfelt messages that inspire your readers to take action. Your mission and the issues you’re tackling are complex and varied. Your communications can be, too!

Make it easy for your donors to give by reaching out through text! With DP Text, you can create custom keywords (ie, “Text GIVE to 55555”), gamify giving through events or scavenger hunts, and reach your donors where they already spend a lot of time – on their phones. 

2. Incorporate a variety of messages

If you’re not yet sold on frequent solicitations, why not try keeping your donors engaged with a wider range of touchpoints? Only sending asks every few months will get stale, but only sending solicitations annually doesn’t give your supporters the opportunities they need to express their generosity. 

Use a calendar to diversify your donor outreach

When building your communications calendar, try color-coding or creating a schedule for a variety of message types, like solicitations, stewardship, updates, event invitations, newsletters, calls for volunteers, advocacy opportunities, educational pieces, etc. This will help you see if you tend to lean heavily on one type of communication, if you’re under-soliciting, or if you’re happy with the balance of your donor outreach types. 

Don’t shy away from soft asks

Even if a given piece isn’t explicitly a solicitation, you can always include your giving link as a soft ask! Pop it in your email signature, in your next newsletter, and in your social media bios. You never know when your supporters might feel inspired to give, so why not make it easy for them to donate?

Want email communications that are personalized and user-friendly? Check out our integration with Constant Contact! DonorPerfect users have exclusive access to over 25 fundraising templates that make virtual giving easy. 

Not a DonorPerfect user? Get a demo today to learn more about how you can raise 25% more funding in your first year with us!

3. Take a page from the for-profit sector

Do you think marketing professionals at major companies ever discuss how their customers might “need a break” from their product and take an advertising hiatus? No way! If you’re ever in doubt regarding a fundraising or awareness campaign, just remember that Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and other international brands dedicate a large percentage of their budget to marketing and advertising. The more they see your organization, the quicker they will think of it when they are considering their next donation.

Consumers’ (and donors’) attention spans are short, and it’s important to capitalize on your supporters’ time and energy as often as you can. As a nonprofit, you’re part of a competitive philanthropic marketplace. If you feel better having a “permission slip” to engage in marketing and solicitations as often as possible, use this blog as your sign to move forward with your next big idea! 

4. Pick up the phone

This may sound old school, but give it a try. When I was a fundraiser through the COVID-19 pandemic, I found that donors were so starved for connection that when I called them, they wanted to talk about the crossword and jigsaw puzzles they were working on and how their last Zoom call with their grandchildren went. It was so easy to connect with my organization’s donors – all I had to do was listen!

Thank-you calls make a meaningful difference

Even though things may feel “back to normal” now, you can always count on genuine, human-to-human connection for fundraising success. For your next stewardship project, try calling your donors to thank them for their support, and see what motivates them to give back! You’ll learn a lot from your constituency, and they’ll appreciate knowing that their gifts make a real, meaningful difference. 

Give your new donors the welcome they deserve

Keeping in touch with your donors, particularly your new donors, is the key to retaining them and maximizing their lifetime value to your organization. Start building your relationships with new donors today with your free New Donor Welcome Series Email Template Kit, available below! Your new donors are passionate about your mission and eager to help wherever they can, and these templates will help you keep them engaged and informed as they learn more about your nonprofit and how they fit into your community.