by Jeff McLinden

Many nonprofit organizations are struggling to keep donors and partners engaged and giving. Let me say this as emphatically as I can… There is no such thing as partner “loyalty” without partner “delight.”
People are much more discriminating in this day and age — and some are simply fickle -- quick to be wooed by the power of intense feelings, memorable experiences and superior service. Business author and consultant Tom Peters devotes several chapters of his phenomenal book Re-Imagine to the intense power of the experience in defining superior product, services and companies. It is this power that creates continuing customers – and the same is true in the world of nonprofits and the donors who support them.

As much as you might wish that your donors have “personal and relational loyalties,” the truth is that many of them will turn away from you without much hesitation – UNLESS you move well beyond simply “satisfying” them and begin to concentrate on DELIGHTING them. Especially in times where financial support decisions are difficult because of the choices offered, you need to think long and hard about how to stand out among the many choices that “compete” for your donors’ support dollars. Otherwise, when hard decisions must be made, you may not make the cut!

Take a lesson from Walt Disney. Uncle Walt knew that people, by nature, are motivated by the experiential. And he set out to create lifetime customers by managing as many aspects of their experience with his products. Whether at the movies, or at his theme parks, Disney knew that focusing on “making people happy” would be a powerful motivator for repeat business. In fact, Disneyland was, for many years, advertised as “the happiest place on earth.”

I witnessed this a number of years ago on a visit to Disneyworld in Orlando. It was early in the day. Walking through the colorful entrance to the park, I couldn’t help but notice a young mother, already haggard, dragging her four-year-old daughter by the hand through the throng streaming into Main Street USA. The poor child was wailing uncontrollably. And very loudly. Finally the frustrated lady could take it no more. She knelt down on the hard pavement, drawing the little girl’s tear-streaked eyes to her own. Practically shouting, the exasperated mother looked earnestly into her daughter’s eyes and said, “This is the happiest place on earth! BE HAPPY!!”

It’s a similar message you should be repeating to your organization's friends and financial supporters … but you must make certain that it is true. Ultimately, your word alone that you are doing good work – and doing it well – is insufficient. A significant part of your work, after all, is about ensuring that your donors continue to be supportive. And I would contend this aspect of your work in development is just as important as the work actually accomplished by your organization.

The equation is simple: no partners = no organization.


         

By Jeff McLinden

I’ve written this before — and talked about it at numerous seminars. Please hear me!
If you are not communicating regularly with your donors during this economic downturn, you are making a huge mistake.
The logic is simple… When others aren’t visible that’s the time to be visible. While the downturn has impacted a good many people in America and across the globe, others are doing just fine, thank you. Unfortunately, I’ve heard from too many organizations that have said, “we’re going to be good stewards and not ‘waste money’ sending newsletters and appeals during bad economic times.” Do you see a problem with this line of thought?
When your donors do not hear from you, it is easy to assume one of two things: 1) Either there is nothing happening in your organization worth talking about, or 2) There is no current need for their involvement. If these are true, then by all means, save your money!
On the other hand, if you remember that donor communications are more about your donor than your organization, then you’ll see what a disservice failure to communicate is to your supporting friends and partners. Besides, if you are sending NO messages, they will turn their attention (and their giving dollars) to the organizations that ARE communicating with them, and providing compelling opportunities for their involvement.
While there are certainly a number of men, women and families that have stopped giving during these difficult months, the vast majority continue to be involved in their favorite charitable causes. They are simply allocating their giving dollars more carefully. Which means you have to meet their criteria for more selective giving.
Are you making the cut? Are you providing giving partners with enough information to help them choose your organization when the chips are down?

By Jeff McLinden

One of the most serious problems with nonprofit communications –- particularly direct mail, e-mail and newsletter communications -– is that they tend to be last-minute, aimless and, therefore, unsuccessful in making an impact upon their readers. Let me underscore five “power principles” that can set your communications apart from the avalanche of poorly written, boring, self-centered and otherwise impotent communications pieces that your partners and donors are confronted by every single day.

1. Have a Clear PURPOSE.
Is it to Inform? Inspire? Involve? Inquire? If your objective is to raise funds then the letter or newsletter must build a strong case (argument) for the ask to be made. All elements of the content should build toward the ask and the benefits of giving CLEARLY stated. And you must ASK.
If you are communicating to share important information, then you MUST let the reader know that it is important. And you must ensure that they understand WHY it is important, and, especially, WHY IT SHOULD MATTER TO THEM.

2. Communicate with PASSION.
One of the most significant obstacles nonprofits face is the sheer volume of information people must process every waking moment. Besides the thousands of marketing messages that bombard your audience from other sources, you must concentrate on breaking through the sheer blizzard of moment-by-moment distractions that consume the time and energy of your reader.

3. Make it PERSONAL.
This is about more than simply starting your letter with a personalized salutation. There are two issues:
a) Address your copy to a single reader. That means you must always write to the INDIVIDUAL reader, NOT groups. The most important word in direct mail copy is “you.” Avoid phrases like “Some of you…” or “those of you…” You’re writing to ONE person, not a group.
b) Make sure you communicate what MATTERS to your reader. Involve him or her in the topic, being sure to draw the reader into the content in such a way that it becomes meaningful.

4. Inject your (or your organization’s) PERSONALITY.
The world loves and lauds memorable characters. Nearly every culture points to personalities that not only entertain, but also influence values, drive behaviors and shape opinions. We are drawn to people with distinctive styles and strongly expressed views. We remember them. We care about what they care about – IF our values are similarly rooted.
Most nonprofits are bastions of sameness. The number of leaders who are vocal and visible is embarrassingly few. Inject your communications with personal style and powerful prose that sets you apart from others. Make your organization (and its leaders) memorable in order to make your communications powerful.

5. Include a PROPOSITION with PROMISE.
Explain how the reader’s help will make a difference in as clear terms as possible. Suggest how a specific dollar amount could make a difference (”Your gift of $50 could provide training materials for 25 Chinese midwives to help them learn new techniques that produce healthier babies…” “Your partnership with ABC Ministries will help strengthen and encourage Pakistani believers who are persecuted for their faith…” etc.). Focus on involving people in powerful things that will make a very clear, measurable difference for good – then demonstrate to them how they have helped, are helping and will help in order that they see themselves as making a difference.

Five powerful principles that will make a difference to your success — IF you apply them!

By Jeff McLinden

If you're like me, you likely receive 20 to 50 pieces of nonprofit mail per week. Why is it that the vast majority of those pieces never make it to my desk? The round file catches the majority simply because they do a lousy job of catching my attention. Those that do get opened mostly suffer from the same disease -- they "talk at" me as a reader, rather than "talk with" me. I'm sure you know what I mean... Too much nonprofit mail -- and especially ministry mail -- tries to deliver a "message" instead of carrying on a conversation. This begs a simple question...

If "relationships" are what donor and partner development are really all about, then why do we ignore one of the fundamental principles of relationship development -- dialogue!

I'm convinced that most writers of ministry mail simply don't get it. We're not engaged in journalism here... We're having conversations! They write as if they were preparing an address to a vast congregation instead of writing a personal letter. And what makes a letter personal are the inflections that are part of a natural conversation. The stops. The starts. The pauses. The questions. The emphatic or dramatic elements that punctuate dialogue between two people in animated discussion.

Great communicators are not so because of profundity, dynamic oratory, complex sentence structures or grammatical perfection. What makes them great is the simple ability to capture attention, to hold it, to shape it. The ability to amuse, to stir emotions, and, especially, to motivate action. Engaging readers is what I'm talking about. Failure to engage is failure. It's like trying to race a car that's stuck in neutral. You just don't get very far.

Larry Johnston taught me many years ago that you can't bore people into giving. The best way to not be a bore is to realize that your donors are far more interested in their own priorities, needs and concerns than they are in you. Put them in the center of your communications and you'll discover something amazing -- they'll be far more interested in what you have to say!

By Jeff McLinden

I was recently asked by a client whether it was important to produce an annual report -- “especially since we’re in difficult economic times.”

First let me say that you DO have a responsibility to your donors to communicate the impact they are having through your organization. Consider the primary audiences for this document... While a great many will be current donors or partners, many will fall into the category of prospective partners, thus you must view the annual report as a significant marketing piece, as well as an accountability document. With that in mind, think broadly about content -- it isn’t enough to merely state the facts and figures. Including a broad view of your vision, programs, and results becomes quite helpful in conveying your history and impact. But consider that the PRIMARY purpose of the document is similar to that of publicly held corporations -- it is a report to stakeholders on the use, and the impact, of their investments!

With that in mind, let me suggest that relegating the "donor/partner" content to a particular section is not as powerful as having a "you-focus" that permeates the entire document. In fact, the annual report is less about "what ABC Organization has accomplished in partnership with you" and more about "what you have accomplished in partnership with ABC Organization."

The corporate "report to stockholders" recognizes that the company exists because people have chosen to invest in the corporation. Too often, ministries are slow to realize their similar dependence upon the continued "investment" of donors/partners. Those that do a great job of recognizing this reflect it in their communications -- and the impact is reflected in extremely healthy donor statistics.

The most significant thing we can communicate to ministry stakeholders of all types is how much their participation contributes to the success/impact of the ministry. That type of affirmation pays significant dividends in terms of lifelong partnerships.

Now then, how is this best accomplished in a piece of this type? Let me suggest that it begins with the front cover and continues throughout the document! Can the title (or subtitle) include the word partners? Something to the effect that this is "A Report to Partners and Friends of ABC Organization"... Then think of page heads and subheads with the same objective: Let the reader see herself on every page!

Regarding the financial section and the auditor's statement, your intent should be to keep this to the basics (condensed financials, visual depictions of income, expenses and program results are great) and offer the details by request. But remember to let the reader see herself as part of those financial statistics -- our objective is to validate and reinforce her decision to invest through your organization to impact lives.

Finally, a note about the length of the document... avoid, if possible, putting "essential" information on a back cover. Your board information, contact info, etc., may be on a back PAGE, but try to keep it off a back cover. It sounds strange, but that implies that this isn't important information. ALL info included in a "report to stakeholders" is important -- especially the assurance that there are capable people "in charge" of your organization.

By Jeff McLinden

It is unfortunate that so many nonprofit organizations delegate responsibility for donor communications to writers and artists who simply “don’t get it” when it comes to content decisions. Let me say a word about your organization’s donor communications and some of the essential “messages” that should be emphasized – particularly in the context of your direct mail communications and your publications, whether a newsletter, magazine or annual report.

According to one organization’s donor study, conducted by the respected firm Campbell Research, most lapsed donors felt that they "didn't know enough about the organizations’ impact." While the statement is true enough, I would contend that Campbell didn't quite get its analysis correct in understanding the “mind” of the organization’s donors. It's not about the ORGANIZATION’s impact... It's all about the DONOR's impact! He or she is concerned about getting the best possible value from his/her donation dollar. Therefore communications MUST demonstrate that the individual donor does, indeed, impact others’ lives THROUGH the organization. When people see the results of investments, and they feel good about them, they will ALWAYS continue to invest. People always do what is both rewarding AND rewarded. That means we must make a deliberate – and continuous – effort in our communications to underscore THEIR value as partners, not simply assume that they “feel” that way.

To summarize, let us simply say that our concern revolves around a potentially damaging lack of “You-focus” within most organizations’ communication pieces.

The lack of the word "you" conveys to the reader that the letter or publication is really about the organization, about the leader, or about whatever happens to be on the leader's mind. How does it relate to the reader? Why is it important to her? Why should she read and respond to it? These questions should be answered within EVERY donor communication. Your success in keeping donors demands that you adopt a "partnership paradigm" in your communications. Otherwise everything gets reduced to a "this is what we're doing...you need to support it" proposition. Not nearly as attractive as demonstrating why and how the reader is making a difference through their partnership / time / prayers / giving.

I see this as a critical failure of the content of many nonprofits’ publications... In many cases a newsletter or magazine provides very nice human-interest stories – but there is drawn no connection to the donor and the role she plays in making such stories possible! It is critical to reinforcement of the donor relationship – and validation of investments of prayers and dollars – that content be devoted to the value of her partnership with your organization! This can easily be done via the inclusion of paragraphs within stories that refer to the role played “by friends and partners like you…” Another important device is the call-out quote, or the sidebar, that broadcasts, loud and clear statements that say, "Because of your help..." "Thanks to partners like you..." "You can help impact more people like..." etc.

Ultimately, a donor needs to see herself in the process – and, especially, in the OUTCOME – of your organization’s efforts (and, especially, its results) or she will gradually lose a sense of “meaningful participation” and turn attention to a more attractive alternative. Quite frankly, you MUST adopt a posture that minimizes the chances for donor defections, and your communications are your first line of defense.