Hello Donors, Remember Me? Engaging Donors During a Pandemic
Do you want the good news or the bad news first?
Okay. The bad news is that fundraising is harder to do in a pandemic/recession for most nonprofits. The good news is that organizations that dived deep into fundraising during the last recession made it through okay. This means that you need to be putting even more resources into your fundraising strategy, especially as we inch closer to the end of the year appeals. I’ve had several clients recently ask me how they can build and sustain relationships with donors at this moment? Especially when face-to-face interactions aren’t advisable.
“The truth is that the options are limited but if you are creative you can figure it out.”
The truth is that the options are limited but if you are creative you can figure it out. One suggestion is to host a virtual update/happy hour for supporters of your work. This is a time to have a well put together and visually appealing presentation for your donors, that doesn’t really feel like a presentation. Short and sweet with time for questions from donors. Make sure you are answering the question that all donors want to know... what now? If they’ve given to you in the past they are genuinely invested and passionate about your work, and they really want to know how you are doing and what you will do to ride out the recession. If your donor program is not robust, open it to the community, and your volunteers.
“Fundraising is all about relationships, and you can’t stop sustaining a relationship because of a pandemic. ”
The best thing about this virtual update option is that it gives you two opportunities to touch your donors without asking them for money, the first to invite them personally (or not depending on the number of your donors) to the virtual event, and then to send the recorded presentation out to those who might have missed it, with an offer to catch up on the phone or via zoom. My guess is that this is the perfect primer for asking donors for money in the late Fall. Fundraising is all about relationships, and you can’t stop sustaining a relationship because of a pandemic.