February 2005
Bonding
Acknowledging a donor by Deborah Block and Paul Karp
What's up online by Dan Weeks
Bonding
DO YOUR fundraising packages convince your donors that you regard them as individuals? If not, you're missing the boat. Because, as Deborah Block and Paul Karps imply (see article below), if supporters to your cause don't "feel the love," they may just seek the recognition they crave elsewhere.
That's why a simple "Back-to-School Report" house appeal from the Southern Poverty Law Center (Montgomery AL) hits the mark. Over and over, this Monarch-sized package — with attached reply — tells the donor that the group knows who she is and how much her support means.
In the letter, even above the date and personalized address block and salutation, there's a box stating, "Valued Member Since 1996."
The short copy, which runs just one page, begins by acknowledging the recipient's state of residence with this lead: "With the new school year beginning in California . . ."
The donor is also mentioned by name in the Ask. Then, in the conclusion, she's assured by signer Morris Dees that "I appreciate all you have done since you joined us eight years ago."
Finally, the tear-off 3-1/2 x 7" reply stresses the bond between individual and organization by featuring a grid that includes the donor's Membership Status and Member ID#. And for good measure, the reply repeats the "Member Since 1996" tagline near the donor's name and address.
With affirmation to spare, the donor can't help but feel a connection with the SPLC. After all, she's a Member in good standing — since 1996 at that — and definitely feeling that love!
Acknowledging a donor
By Deborah Block and Paul Karps
WE'VE OFTEN WRITTEN about the need to thank donors profusely when appealing to the housefile. After all, these are the generous people who give your organization the resources to advance its mission. They are your lifeblood.
There are any number of ways you can express your appreciation to a donor. Looking just at the letter, here are several copywriting strategies and techniques we've found to be particularly useful:
Use the salutation
Assuming you're unable to personalize your salutation, use this as your very first opportunity to say "thank you" to your donor. The most basic form would be "Dear XYZ Member" or "Dear Supporter." But we would typically add an adjective to the mix — our favorites being "valued," "loyal," "steadfast," or "stalwart."
One tip: Save the proverbial "Dear Friend" for your acquisition mailings. If you can't come up with something better for a housefile package, you're simply not trying hard enough!
The early acknowledgment
In those instances when you're able to personalize the salutation, you'll then want to come in as soon as possible with a way to acknowledge the recipient's support. For example, "Because you're a loyal member of XYZ, I'm writing to tell you. . ."
Another approach is to begin your letter with some problem, issue, or story. You can then acknowledge the donor's relationship as you segue into what your organization is doing to resolve the situation. As in: "But thanks to your generosity, XYZ is leading the way to . . ."
Positioning your success
One problem when discussing a non-profit's record of success is the pitfall of sounding pompous and self-congratulatory. The remedy is to position your accomplishments as being a direct outgrowth of the donor's participation in your mission.
Here's one way to do this: Begin each accomplishment with a "Because of you" or "Thanks to your commitment." You can also underline this repeated phrase for emphasis.
"We are fam-a-lee"
Make Sister Sledge proud. Tell your donor you consider her a "member of your extended family." Or, if that's a little too warm and fuzzy for your organization, you can refer to the donor as a "valued partner in all we do." A sports metaphor can also work, calling someone a "valuable member of the XYZ team."
The goal, of course, is to cement your long-term relationship with the donor by stressing how important she is to your operation.
Inside information
Another way to treat your donor like an insider is to reveal information "because you're such a good friend of ours." In certain cases, these details can even be deemed "confidential" or "for your eyes only."
But regardless, this is a great way to introduce your organization's goals or agenda for the time directly ahead — or upcoming exhibition or event schedule, in the case of a museum or other cultural nonprofit.
Shared beliefs
One final way to acknowledge a donor's support — and build upon her relationship with you — is to emphasize your shared belief system. Something along the lines of: "Since you're a generous friend of XYZ, I'm sure you'll agree that. . ."
Managing Editor Deborah Block and Paul Karps are partners in BK Kreative, 1010 Varsity Court, Mountain View CA 94040, phone (650) 962-9562, fax (650) 962-1499, e-mail bkkreative@aol.com.
What's up online
By Dan Weeks
Seacology is the world's premier NGO with the sole purpose of preserving the environments and cultures of islands throughout the globe.
Seacology has a good Web site, and apparently others think so, too; an entire page is devoted to the awards they've won. Check it out at www.seacology.org. I love the ticker, with the figures of, for instance, acres of island terrestrial habitat and acres of coral reef they've helped save.
A good, well-placed quote can work wonders for your fundraising, and they've got one from Dr. John McCosker, senior scientist at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco: "Dollar for dollar, pound for pound, Seacology gets more output than any conservation group that I've seen. They're not giving money away, they're not making grants, they're making deals."
Want more? Sign up to receive Successful Fundraising Online every month via e-mail.
