If your nonprofit is saying "How can I get my donors to pick up the phone?" or "My donors are still nervous about attending a live event" or "Do we really need a newsletter? No one reads it.", these are all signs that your nonprofit's donor engagement strategy needs a reboot.
Donor engagement is critically important to your fundraising strategy. If a potential donor doesn't have a clear idea of what you do, how the money gets spent, or how vitally important your work is to the community, they simply won't give. It is your nonprofit's clearly defined strategy for helping donors get closer to your mission.
If you're having a newsletter open rate issue, switch to video messaging. If event attendance is flagging on that expert speaker, flip the switch and invite your donors to engage in direct conversation with your expert programming staff and a few industry experts sprinkled in the mix. If no one is picking up the phone, rewire your outreach strategy so that the person who is doing the calling is a friend, and is already in your potential donor's address book.
Donor engagement requires fresh thinking constantly. If you're looking for source of fresh ideas, here's my top recommendation. (And FYI, my recommendation is the best way to cultivate strong donor engagement.)
A solid donor engagement strategy leads to major gift growth and new donors, too. Show me the ring!
