Seven ways to build stronger donor relationships

As we enter the year-end giving season, communicating with donors is top of mind for many of us in nonprofit communications and fundraising. Whether you’re planning a fundraising campaign for this year or preparing your donor communications for next year, now is a great time to consider new ways to engage your supporters and build real relationships that advance your nonprofit’s mission.

1. Treat donors as partners, not ATMs.

Start by evaluating your messages to donors from the past year across each channel you use: likely some combination of email, direct mail, website, social media, events, SMS, and video. How many of those messages asked for money, and how many invited donors to take other actions, thanked them for their support, or reported back on the impact of their gift? Next, review when you sent those messages. Were you communicating year-round, or did you concentrate on the final few months of the year? If you are only asking for money at year-end, your donors will feel used and undervalued. Many of your donors find joy and meaning in supporting you. Give donors opportunities to engage with the problems your organization is addressing through a consistent schedule of impact reporting, newsletters, actions to connect with your mission (e.g., responding to a survey, signing a pledge, or joining an educational webinar), and updates without direct appeals for financial support.

2. Challenge the donor as a hero or savior narrative.

For years, fundraisers (including myself over a decade ago) recommended making the donor the hero to generate more gifts from supporters. But this narrative can perpetuate harmful power dynamics, treat program participants as helpless victims, and ignore the systemic root causes your nonprofit is trying to solve. Review the Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF) principles and explore ways to shift your content from the donor-centered “you” to an inclusive “we” that includes the nonprofit, the donors, and the communities served as equal partners.

3. Move from deficit- to asset-based storytelling.

If you feature beneficiaries in your appeals or updates, those same folks should have agency over how their stories are told. You can also invite multiple people to review photos and messaging to avoid exploiting participants’ lived experiences while centering dignity and strength. Instead of focusing on trauma, highlight the aspirations of people and communities. Push messages of hope instead of fear, and highlight positive traits or where people are now.

4. Use plain language to build clarity and trust.  

Nonprofit communications are often laden with jargon because of the misconception that the “smarter” you sound, the more likely high-net-worth individuals or funders are to invest in your organization. Using too many acronyms and complex language can exclude people in your community and leave them feeling confused and alienated. Instead, simplify your content so people can understand your message and see themselves in your work.

5. Embrace an abundance mindset.

Reject the push to “act like a for-profit business” that treats other nonprofits as competitors. Instead, treat organizations that do similar work to you as partners and peers. While funding can often feel limited, donors want to understand how your work is making a difference alongside others so that change is lasting. Clarify what makes you unique or what people should immediately associate with your organization, while also uplifting how other organizations in your space complement your mission to collectively serve your community. Consider using moments like Giving Tuesday to share the spotlight and highlight peers and partners, which could position your organization as a helpful connector among your supporters.

6. Center your donors’ motivations, not their demographics.

Audience profiles or summaries can help nonprofit teams develop messaging and prioritize where to invest their limited time and budget. These audience profiles should focus on psychographics and behavior. Conduct audience research to gain insights into questions such as: 

• What drives your donors’ generosity? What shared values connect them to your mission? 
• How do donors and prospects actually engage with your communications? Are they first-time givers, monthly donors, or long-term advocates?
• Use these insights to create profiles and update them regularly. These profiles can help your team decide what to start, test, or stop across platforms, newsletters, and appeals, as well as what ideas to focus on when thanking donors.

7. Ground your communications in vision, mission, and values.

Every nonprofit organization has a mission statement, and many have articulated their vision and values. While mission statements are about the actual purpose of your organization, vision statements paint a picture of the future, something that’s often really motivating and idealistic. Values state the key beliefs and philosophies that guide your work, both internally and externally. These statements are essential for guiding all your communications, including fundraising. Instead of just using vision, mission, and values statements on internal documents, use them to determine the content of your appeals and updates. They are tools to navigate conversations with donors as you bring them on the journey to who you are becoming, especially if that involves big shifts from who you were in the past.

Curious to learn more or feeling a bit overwhelmed? We are here to help. Our team can work with you to create a donor communications plan for one year or longer. If you are interested, contact us, and we can discuss how we can support your organization.