Charity organisations significantly rely on the generosity of their donors. Whether it is to simply keep the organisation from doing its administrative roles to completing its projects, organisations in the non-profit sector find it hard to be self-sufficient. As indicated by the term ‘non-profit’, they do not have funds to splurge around. Hence, they have also to ensure that the limited money received is well used. To secure enough funds to keep operating, significant challenge charity organisations have to face is to keep accepting donations. This exclusively will depend on the friendly attitude of the people in the organisation dealing with the donors and the organisation’s standards of transparency. If you are a charity organisation struggling to stay on because of the difficulty of finding donors, here are a few tips to keep in mind.
But First - Have You Tried Implementing a Charity Management System?
A charity management system is a type of enterprise management system that specialises in catering to the needs of the non-profit sector. From registering volunteers to keeping track of projects and maintaining a record of all financial transactions, a charity management system helps you relieve the stress involved in day-to-day processes. A good software vendor will also offer a range of modules that can be customised according to each organisation’s requirements and provide secure remote access to charity data with tight security protocols. It should also offer insightful insights that can help stakeholders and the decision-makers in the organisation to take action that will help them reach their goals faster. In short, a charity management system is a great way to streamline and automate administrative roles efficiently and save overall money, time and resources.
How Does This Relate to Building Relationships With Donors?
Few mandatory software modules included in a typical charity management software are exclusively related to the donor. For example, a charity management system helps the donor to have a seamless experience. This can be done by, for instance, promptly providing the donor with the option to pay via an online gateway and providing an acknowledgement receipt. It also helps the charity organisation on their end to automate data related to donors, track how the donor’s funds are being used by the organisation and send information about future fundraisers easily.
A Guide for Charity Organisations: How Can a Charity Management System Help Build Meaningful Relationships With Donors?
Unlike other industries, the non-profit sector value human connections. An organisation should be innovative in the way they approach donors. Keep in mind that they are donating to an organisation on the belief that the project will contribute to achieving a specific humanitarian goal in which the donor may have a particular interest. Hence, it is not merely a financial investment but one done for the greater good. Here are a few tips on how you can maintain a close relationship with each donor:
Do Not Treat Them as a Sponsor
Some tend to make the grave mistake of treating their donors as a sponsor. While there are specific things that organisations have to take note to do for both types of parties, keep in mind that they are entirely different. One key responsibility organisations hold in respect of both types is to provide a project proposal with an overview of the entire project. Where the two parties are entirely different is in their intention. When given a project proposal, a sponsor will consider what they can gain in return for financing the project. Questions such as whether they will receive recognition and who the target audience in the event is are significant points they will require answers for.
On the other hand, a donor will typically not be concerned about such things. While they may hope to receive recognition by receiving a public appreciation post for their contribution, the decision to provide a donation will be based on their interest in the cause the organisation stands for. List such interests on the donor profile when they first make their transaction. This will also help in the future when finding prospective donors for a project that addresses a similar cause. Unlike sponsors who only wish to know about the event, they contributed to, sharing success stories on projects executed by the organisation is an excellent way to keep in touch with your donors. It will increase their appeal to the organisation, showcasing the drive and motivation the non-profit is putting into creating an impact in society.
Show How Their Valuable Contribution Helped in the Execution of the Project
Do not wait for the donor to follow up on how the project went and how their donation was used for its execution. Take the lead to message each donor through the communication tools built-in in a charity management system. A typical charity management software can track how each donation was used whenever someone used it. This module is an asset for organisations to increase their transparency with their donors. By taking the first move to communicate with donors on how their funds were used, they will also create a positive impression of their non-profit. Try not to also be too technical in showing the value of their contribution. Keep in mind you are talking to a human for a cause that may potentially make a positive impact on a community of people. Hence, convey the value of their contribution in terms of how it helped individuals. Send pictures where possible and help them feel like they were part of the change with their financial power.
Not All Donors Are The Same
There is no box that all donors fall into. As donors are humans, no one is the same. Hence, each donor an organisation approaches should have a personalised touch. One party organisation that fails to ask for feedback at the end of a project is the donor. To understand the different types of donors in the world and why they want to provide financial assistance, sending a feedback form, in the end, would help. This will further allow the organisation to consider how they can manage relationships with donors better and strategise future partnerships with prospective donors. A data analytical tool incorporated into a charity management system helps assess the changing patterns of donors and provides valuable insights into the charity sector. Take the time to understand all of these to target more donations in the future.
Take Note to Show Your Gratitude
Although this might seem obvious, some organisations fail to properly thank their donors. Most charities end up sending an automated message which acknowledges the payment made and thanks them for their contribution. There is a higher chance of a donor donating again in the future if extra care is taken to show appreciation. Send a personalised note thanking them for their donation and request confirmation on whether they wish to stay anonymous or not. If they choose not to remain anonymous, do take the initiative to include the contribution made by stating it in the relevant section of the newsletters. In this regard, the promotional tools in a charity management system, including features that help organisations to manage emails in bulk, can send updates to a database of volunteers, stakeholders, and other donators efficiently.
Flourish With a Database of Loyal Donators
It takes trust and time to build any sort of relationship with a person. Investing time on a donor with a personalised touch ensures that donators keep a look out for future projects they can fund for. Finding new donors every time you want to carry out a project is extremely hard. Hence, why not take advantage of the donors that already took a leap of faith in your orgnisational goals and helped you at one point to achieve them? Flourish with a database of loyal donators whilst streamlining your in-house processes with the help of a powerful charity management software solution.
