Easier Said Than Done: Face Hard Times Without Fear

Treat donors right
Your donors are your most valuable asset. Yes, that’s old news. But in hard times, their value to you grows. So make sure you give them your best:

• Give them choices. Let them choose where their money goes. Let them decide how you communicate with them. Don’t be afraid — most donors don’t exercise these choices, much less make the choices you’re afraid they’ll make. Merely offering choice has a positive and measurable (yes, I’ve measured it) impact on your relationship with them.

• Close the loop. Every time they give, make sure they find out what you did with their money. Tell them stories about the impact of their giving. Be detailed, specific and emotional. You’ll stand well above the crowd of charities that grab their checks, deposit them and then go silent until it’s time to ask again.

• Treat their giving with respect. Receipt promptly (24-hour turnaround is not asking too much!). Be heartfelt and genuine with your thanks. And don’t screw up their data!

• Keep asking. Unless donors specifically tell you they don’t want to hear from you or they can’t give, you should be asking. Assume they want to give, that their giving makes them happy. Recession or not, donors love to donate. Don’t let the atmosphere of pessimism and fear obscure that for you.

Get innovative
This could be your best chance to do cool new things that really change the game. Times of pain and disruption often are. Maybe people get more open-minded. Maybe the idea-killers retreat so far into their shells that they can’t get out to squish new ideas.