by Donna M. Finley, CFRE; Senior Manager
We've all seen the telecom ad campaign featuring a man
with a cell phone against his ear stopping in various locations and asking the
question, "Can you hear me now?" The purpose of the ad campaign: To
differentiate the company from its competitors by showing potential customers
that no matter where you are, you can receive a strong reliable signal and
complete your call.
It led me to wonder, how do nonprofit organizations
differentiate themselves from their competitors and other nonprofit
institutions with their "customers" - their donors and friends? The
issue is not so much the ways in which organizations are reaching out to
constituents to "complete the connection," but whether or not they are reaching
out in the ways constituents want them to reach out and with the messages they
want to hear, because it all impacts fundraising and, ultimately, the success
of any nonprofit organization.
Here are some guidelines to help you reach out to your
constituents and prospects in the ways they want with messaging that will
prompt them to respond with philanthropic support.
Plan
Realize that a strategic fundraising plan needs a
corresponding strategic communications plan. The two should be developed in
concert and implemented in an integrated fashion. There should not be two
communications efforts within an organization -- one to publicize programs/services
and one to support the fundraising.
More importantly, neither plan should be created in a
vacuum. Nor should they be created without the benefit of external input.
Taking the time up front to be inclusive and externally focused and to plan
well and thoughtfully will reap enormous benefits over the long term - both in
the positive reputation your organization will enjoy and in increased
fundraising revenue.
Uncover
Either via surveys that can be disseminated electronically
or through regular mail, random polling of top donors and prospects, focus
groups and/or conversations held during discovery calls, you can identify what
makes your organization unique in your constituents' minds - what they want to
hear about, when they want to hear it, how often and in what manner. You can
also uncover the "big idea" that transcends what your organization does and
inspires people to give to you - if you ask the right questions.
At last count, 65 million Americans have registered for
the "Do Not Call" list, explicitly telling direct marketers that they do not
want to be communicated with by telephone. How many of your donors are on that
list? What does that tell you about how they want your organization to
communicate with them?
Adjust
Step outside of your current communications practices to
use the knowledge you gain from reaching out to your constituents to create a
stronger communications foundation. Then alter messages or approaches
appropriately to be more effective. In this way, you stand a better chance of
reaching the right people with the right message at the right time in a way
that will encourage them to fully embrace the message and act on it.
When you encounter complaints or resistance to what your
organization is doing, take the time to respond in the context of this newfound
knowledge. Rather than assuming it's an isolated incident, understand that
where one or two people speak out, many more who concur may be silent. The
silent ones simply walk away, and you might never know why.
Educate and involve
Educate your organizational colleagues to view
communications as a vital and first step in the relationship process that leads
to philanthropic gifts and financial sustainability. Involve staff in the
communications department (for those lucky enough to have separate
departments), in the specific academic, community, cultural, social service or
healthcare programs/service areas, as well as senior staff and volunteer
leadership by providing training about the key messages to share with others.
It's in everyone's best interest and in the organization's interest as a whole
to embrace a communications mindset and role from top to bottom, both
internally and externally.
Complement
Finally, look at communications from a much broader
perspective. It's not simply written or electronic publications, verbal
messages or media relations.
Communications:
-
Involves customer service, beginning with the
receptionist at the front door who answers the phone or greets the visitor --
often the first contact an individual will have with your organization;
-
Includes the programs/functions area staff that
interacts with volunteers;
-
Involves the development staff that makes calls
on potential or current donors;
-
Includes what is written into case statements,
what is told to media contacts, and how the stories of your successes and
failures are shared;
-
Is implicit in how you thank your donors, and
when and how you tell them how their money is being used; and
-
Is embedded in your annual reports and financial
disclosures.
Most of all, communications is vital to the position you
enjoy in your community because the majority of people who know about your
organization only know you through what is spoken, what is read, what is viewed
and what is heard.
The next time donors implicitly ask your organization, "Do
you hear us now?" how will you and your organization respond?
This article originally appeared in the March 7,
2006, edition of the FS Advisor, the
weekly e-strategy guide produced by FundRaising
Success magazine.
