Getting Donor Feedback Right to Raise More Funds

The strength of donor relationships directly impacts the amount of fundraising dollars. Relational fundraising is an absolute for nonprofit success. However, with many organizations, there is a big miss in the equation, which is asking donors for feedback and advice. The best fundraising organizations are always about deepening donor engagement involving donor feedback. Asking questions — and not just for money — resonates with donors.

Why Donor Feedback Matters

The truth of the matter is that asking donors what they think isn’t just a courtesy. It’s a strategic imperative. When nonprofit leaders ask donors what motivates and inspires them, it helps align the organization more strategically with donors. Further, it helps to manage donor expectations and fosters a deeper emotional connection because they feel valued. When donors feel connected, they are more inclined to support your organization long-term.

Still, it's essential to remember that donor feedback is a two-way street. When you ask for feedback, your organization may receive critiques. So, it's critical to remember that you want a transparent and accountable relationship. Even donor critiques can help your nonprofit improve everything from how it communicates with donors and which stories resonate best to the programs that inspire people to give more. 

Approaches to Collecting Donor Feedback

For organizations that genuinely develop meaningful relationships by asking donors their thoughts, they create a more thoughtful approach to fundraising. If you agree with asking donors what they think, the next question is how to collect donor feedback. The most effective strategy is simply to have personal conversations. These one-on-one conversations offer the best method to collect qualitative information. 

Personal conversations shouldn’t simply be limited to major donors. Look at your mid-range donors and general donors who have supported your organization monthly for over a year. However, there are other tools to ask donors what they think. Those include survey tools to gather insights from a large group of people. When doing surveys, make sure you know how to design it well to focus responses and get a higher response rate. 

Handling Negative Feedback With Care

When you ask for feedback and donor input, you may receive negative critiques, which are essential to do better. Further, how you handle the feedback is very important to maintaining donor relationships. The very first step is always to acknowledge the opinions and thoughts of a donor. It's also vital to thank the donor for their candid assessment of your organization because they care about your work and want to improve it.

When you receive negative feedback it's essential to understand it fully, so it might mean asking follow-up second- and third-level questions. The aim is to get to the root of any dissatisfaction or concerns. If the feedback is actionable and can be improved, state that you will look into it and return it later with updates. If feedback isn't actionable, it's essential to be transparent as to why something can't change. People appreciate honesty.

When you explain that something can't happen, it's essential to do it with respect. However, donors need to understand why. It's vital to provide the reasons why something can't change. For instance, it could be due to limited resources or other more critical priorities. Something can only change if it aligns with the organizational mission or because it would adversely impact programs. Answer the critique transparently and ask them to continue to support.

Turning Feedback Into Actionable Strategies

The value of donor feedback is in its ability to drive change. So, once you gather fresh insights, it’s time to prioritize quick wins and longer-term objections for process or programmatic improvements. Get together with your team and determine your specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) goals. Then get to work on making essential process improvements. 

As you take action with donor feedback that makes sense for your organization, it's vital to communicate with donors. For anyone who highlighted something that you're changing, call them up and let them know. Take it as an opportunity to thank them. However, you can also go further. For instance, let all your donors know that you're actioning and improving your operation due to donor feedback. Keep people updated and celebrate the wins and conclusions. 

Building Stronger Donor Relationships Through Feedback

Again, asking for donor feedback is essential and goes beyond a “nice to do.” Your nonprofit will build meaningful donor relationships by listening to donors, addressing concerns and maintaining a two-way street of communication. Remember, donors started to support your organization because an emotional reason inspired them to become donors. When you ask for advice, people feel valued and engaged and will continue to stand by your side. 

The preceding post was provided by an individual unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO.