Authenticity & Flow

Some of the best parts of launching this little experiment last week have been the links some of you have sent me to other blogs or articles that have you thinking.  Yes!  There is a big world of smart people out there analyzing and philosophizing about philanthropy and I'm thrilled for any and all suggestions you have for expanding my world. 

Natalie Lamberjack, consultant extraordinaire from The Collins Group in Seattle, sent me a link to a post on Katya's Nonprofit Marketing Blog, entitled "The Great Donor Exodus – And What to Do About It." The author, Jay Love (former CEO of eTapestry) provides an interesting synopsis of the Fundraising Effectiveness Project by the Urban Institute and the Association for Fundraising Professionals.   Think of the Project as an important treasure trove of statistics designed to help nonprofits learn to fundraise effectively.

As Love writes, the recent Project report shows that nonprofit donor retention is actually rather dismal:  a 41% donor retention rate across the nonprofit sector pales in comparison to a 96% customer retention rate in the commercial for-profit world.  While I’m still trying to wrap my head around what, exactly, it means for the for-profit world to have a 96% retention rate, the difference is nonetheless stark.  Moreover, the report estimates that increasing the nonprofit sector's donor retention rate could result in significant fundraising gains. 

Love's advice is for every nonprofit to know their statistics – what's your retention rate, which donors return every year, who doesn't, etc.  Good advice, for sure.  But let's remember data analysis is only a starting point and the real rubber meets the road when we try to think about what to do to change our stats.  And, that has me thinking and pondering on this way-too-beautiful a sunny day here in the Methow Valley – so if I sound overly impatient or antsy in what follows, forgive me for outside is calling!

I started by searching around the web for theories and approaches to donor retention. A whole army of fundraisers stand ready with lists promising "10 Things to Keep Your Donors," or "The 5 Steps to Lifelong Donors," or "The 25 Must-Do's to Keep Your Donors Engaged" (full disclosure – I made up those titles, but trust me, google donor retention and you will quickly find yourself swamped in a series of short, pithy lists to guide you to philanthropy's silver bullet).

While many of these lists include very smart and appropriate advice (like PLEASE always thank your donors and show impact before you ask again), they leave me frankly a little depressed.  After reading enough of them, I could all too easily conclude that fundraising is just a series of checklists or hurdles to cover before I achieve success and have a donor engaged to the point of making a long-term and significant gift.  My job as a Development Professional, it would seem, is to "move" donors along these set milestones and assure consistent, generous support.

Wow, does that NOT feel like how I approach my passion.  Yes, there are basic protocols (like thanking, reporting back, etc.) that if not done, will ensure the loss of a donor.  But, I don't believe there is one recipe, no checklist, no five things that guarantee the commitment of a long-term donor.  I respect all of our supporters way too much to assume that.

Thank goodness we've had smart thinkers like Penelope Burk (and many of you!) through the years to remind us that fundraising is not transactional, but is all about relationships.  Like most fundraisers I know, I absolutely agree.  Why is it though, that even this rather deep philosophical concept too often gets boiled down to a series of utilitarian steps. Steps with a more personal flair, for sure, but steps nonetheless.  Listening carefully to your donors becomes a step, asking the right questions, tailoring your message, etc. 

It reminds me of the time I led a workshop session on how my organization engaged donors in a really big capital campaign and in the midst of explaining the underlying philosophy, I shared examples of some of the materials we created.  Only after someone came up to me at the end of the session to say, "thank you so much for the idea of sending donors postcards of the land they have protected," did I realize I had failed in conveying the central point.  It's not about the design of your card or the timing of your appeal or the font you choose….the magic is in finding a way to say clearly and believably you, donor, have made a real impact.  The postcard is just the vehicle. 

Maybe I'm crazy, but I've always tried to approach the whole process in the way that I'd like to be treated if I was the donor.  I wouldn't care about receiving 7 contacts before being asked or at least one email update a month.  For me, it all starts and ends with authenticity. 

I genuinely believe that all of the donors I have the honor to work with are partners in my organization's efforts to make the world (or at least one piece of the world) better.  We are in this together.  I have a real passion for my mission and when I reach out to donors, I share that genuinely – maybe not always in exactly the right words or right way, but what I strive for is an authentic sense of a shared love for our mission.  I also genuinely respect all of our donors and when I ask them about what matters to them, I actually care.  Not just so I can make a note and send them a follow up card that speaks to their heart, but because I really want to know what inspires them.  I learn from them.  Understanding what moves them is what gives me satisfaction – the human connection (the philanthropos tropos, if you will)—in my work. 

So whether I am sending a donor a personal email on the day I saw an eagle try to drown a gull out my office window and it made me realize how grateful I am that as a donor they keep a place like the Methow alive and wild, or whether I am sending a postcard to 1000 donors to thank them for protecting another special place, I think first about how to be genuine in my gratitude, in my awe at their impact, and in my belief that our work only happens because so many band together. 

I'm sure a fundraiser auditing my process for its retention potential would be abhorred at the lack of checklists and steps and programmed-out plans for contacts.  I've tried that and it didn’t work and I didn't like it.  Because it didn't feel authentic.  Of course, I recognize we need to communicate, and I readily admit to times when I have missed a good opportunity, but I try to stay focused on making communications about the things – little or big – that make our daily work come to life for our donors so that they truly do feel a part of the organization.  Because, and this is the secret sauce, I believe they are!  I can't manufacture those moments to fit some prescribed timeline.  To work – for every one of our donors to feel connected – those moments and how we convey them, have to flow.

I believe that when you can do that, your donors will sense the authentic impact of their giving and they will want to continue to be a part of your movement—and that should be our goal rather than donor retention.

So sure, I keep track of our donor renewal rates and as student of economics, I like to analyze statistics and find some comfort in logic and formulas.  But, what I do is much more art than science, more about connection than calculation.  And, that's just the way I'd want it.

What's your take on the essentials for the nonprofit sector to retain more supporters for our movements?  As either a fundraiser or a donor, what do you think lies at the heart of keeping people engaged?  Maybe we can come up with our own Top Ten List :)