Smart ideas from Hartsook Companies, Inc.

March 23, 2010

Creating Donor Confidence: Part II

Recall in our first installment we noted that it takes less to retain a donor than to replace a donor. Creating and maintaining donor confidence is a big part of that.

If we want to be sure we are contributing to our donors' confidence in our charity's work, we need to evaluate our recognition programs. How quickly does your nonprofit acknowledge gifts? Are acknowledgments generated in 24 hours? 48 hours? 72 hours? I am aware of some nonprofits that can take weeks and even months to produce a simple "thank you," and this is simply not good enough. As fundraisers we cannot overlook the value of a prompt acknowledgment.

Speed, however, is not everything. Some organizations have no trouble getting the thank you letter into the mail quickly, but for the sake of speed, they sacrifice personalization and sometimes accuracy. If using a form letter for acknowledgment, I always encourage development staff to add or edit at least one sentence in each letter to make it unique to the donor. If there is time, I encourage development programs to initiate an additional acknowledgment by phone. Other than seeing the donor in person, what could be a better way to say thank you personally than to pick up the phone and actually talk to your donor! Depending on the size of your program and the number of gifts you process each day, this level of personalization may need to be reserved for donors of a certain level of giving. I guarantee however, that your phone call will be received long before the mail arrives with your letter.

Calling your donors is also a way to confirm the donor's intended use for the gift, and to learn more about them. I warn you however, at first some donors are so stunned by the personal attention, they will automatically assume something is wrong. I have even had donors assume I was calling because their check had not cleared! But I assure you, in the end, I have never called a donor who didn't appreciate the call and the opportunity to tell me why they were happy to make the gift. And when the call is over and there has not been another "ask" made, they recognize that my nonprofit is different from all the rest!

Lastly, foundations and grant funders are not the only entities interested in measurable results. Individual donors may not know what a "measurable outcome" is, but they understand when you describe the difference your work is making the lives of people. And they want to know that their gift made that work possible. So, when thanking your donors, don't shy away from describing the results of your work. Use subsequent newsletters and other communications to tell your story. Most importantly, take every opportunity to tie the difference you are making in people's lives with the gifts that make your work possible.

If you follow these steps, you'll see the confidence build.

AFP International; Come See Us
We invite you to visit the Hartsook AFP Center (booth number 1149) at the AFP International Conference on Fundraising in Baltimore April 11-14, 2010. Author of five books and Hartsook Companies' Chairman and CEO Bob Hartsook, and the Hartsook Chair in Fundraising, and author of Fundraising Principles and Practice, Adrian Sargeant, PhD, will be on hand for book signings. Matt Beem, COO, will unveil and sign complimentary copies of his brand-new book, Performance-Driven Fundraising: Taking Control of Your Success.

Submit your best practice for "growing philanthropy" for your organization and register to win one of three fabulous Wrightsville Beach vacation giveaways! Witness the first Hartsook Radio Broadcasts LIVE featuring prominent guests from the nonprofit sector including Holly Hall, Chronicle of Philanthropy; Andrew Watt, AFP; Allison M. Brunner, Editor - Nonprofit, Public, and Business Leadership and Management, Jossey-Bass/Wiley; Adrian Sargeant, Center on Philanthropy; and more. For a full listing of Hartsook-sponsored events, please visit our web site.

Giving Back
Hartsook Companies, the Hartsook Institutes for Fundraising, and the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region will hold Day of Service sessions in the Greater Baltimore and Washington, DC areas on April 9-11 in conjunction with the AFP International Conference on Fundraising.

Through a tailored discussion about their most pressing fundraising challenges, nonprofit executives, development directors and board members will gain advice that can lead their organization to fulfill their missions through increased funding.

More than 50 participated in the sessions in January and February at Avila University in Kansas City.

To be considered, eligible nonprofits must sign up in advance. With 50 nonprofits already registered, space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Register online.

On the Web

• Bob's Blog. Bob shares his knowledge and his perceptions candidly and passionately in his online blog. Learn more at www.hartsookcompanies.com/blog.

• Examine This ... Matt Beem ponders "What Makes Us Generous" in his most recent article for the Examiner. For the full article, visit our web site.

• Timely Tips and Tweets! Follow us on Twitter at HartsookTips. Today's Tweet: Fundraisers, are you getting so tied up in administrative tasks that you forget your most important job - communicating with your donors?

• Facebook: Become a Fan. Get more fundraising tips and see what's new at Hartsook Companies by following us on Facebook.

• Searches Made Simple. We recently added Google Search as an easy way for site visitors to find relevant resources and information on our web site.

• Global Reach. Empresas Hartsook, Inc. es una empresa de recaudación de fondos completo servicio de consultoría. Or as we say in our native language: "Hartsook Companies, Inc. is a full-service fundraising consulting firm." To better accommodate international clients and prospects, Hartsook Companies' web site can now be translated into 40 languages via the Google Translate button on our home page.

Performance-Enhancement Reading
Matthew J. Beem, MPA, CFRE, President and Chief Operating Officer for Hartsook Companies, will soon release his first solo book. Produced by ASR Media, Performance-Driven Fundraising: Taking Control of Your Success, priced at just $29.95 (plus $5 S&H), will accelerate anyone's learning curve and serve as a handy, yet entertaining, reference tool for new and seasoned fundraisers. To reserve your pre-release copy for just $19.95, contact Tammy Weinman at tammy@hartsookcompanies.com noting "Performance Book Special" in the subject line.

Another Smart Idea...From the Hartsook Best Practices Collection^SM

 "We have two Boards and created a 'family campaign'. With the staff and Board combining their efforts for one campaign, neither group felt alone." - Kristin Mason, Volunteers of America, Alexandria, Va.

If you are interested in Best Practices and smart ideas, see these additional resources from Hartsook Companies:

• The entire ASR Publishing collection is now available on Kindle. Books from Hartsook Companies' CEO Bob Hartsook include On The Money! - an enlightening collection of success stories and lessons learned from nonprofit fundraising campaigns nationwide; Closing that Gift! How to be Successful 99% of the Time - a reveal of the 29 secrets to closing a gift and the top 10 solicitation mistakes; Million Dollar Gifts - 101 strategies of amazing real-life stories of million-dollar gifts made by average Americans; Nobody Wants to Give Money Away! - stories, humor and more than two decades of fundraising experience in which Bob explores the nine fundraising truths essential to success; Getting Your Ducks in a Row - a tool box of strategies for effective campaign fundraising, including ideas, concepts, plans, strategies, approaches and suggestions that result in success; and "Reality Fundraising" - ideas, insights and lessons learned through hundreds of best practices from nonprofit professionals nationwide.

• "Best Practices Coast to Coast," a compilation of best practices from every state in the union.

• "Hartsook Best Practices Collection," our original collection of 250 best practices and great ideas.

For a free copy of "Best Practices Coast to Coast" or the "Hartsook Best Practices Collection", please email Tammy Weinman, tammy@hartsookcompanies.com, or visit our web site. We also invite you to contribute your own best practice by emailing Annette Lough, annette@hartsookcompanies.com.

Visit the Hartsook Companies web site for:

• Educational opportunities
• Books/reference articles
• Conference/workshop speakers

Strategies for Success explores smart ideas, connecting with more than 2,000 fundraising professionals bi-weekly. We welcome your contributions or comments. Send to Strategies for Success editor Annette Lough, annette@hartsookcompanies.com. If you'd like a free subscription to Strategies for Success - or its monthly companion, eHartsook on Philanthropy - contact Tammy Weinman, tammy@hartsookcompanies.com. You also can reach her at 816.298.8045, Ext. 8225.

Our web site is located at http://www.hartsookcompanies.com.