10 Best Practices for Netting and Keeping Donors

7. Have a media strategy and implement it. Take advantage of media outlets that serve your donor demographic. Why not? It’s free. And “having positive press coverage in the local newspapers, magazines, TV, or even the radio serves as third-party validation of your organization and yet another way to reach out to your donors,” Burton said. To leverage the media, develop a relationship with media contacts; come up with a consistent format for press releases and send them often to build familiarity; and make sure the contact person listed in the press releases is available to the press for interviews. “Although you may not have total control over the decision to cover your story or the exact message the reporter creates, you do have control over the information you make available, the timing and the selling points that would win coverage over a competing story,” Burton said.