How do you effectively communicate with donors who prefer giving portal programs?
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— The LinkedIn Team
Giving portal programs are online platforms that allow donors to manage their charitable giving, such as Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), workplace giving, or matching gifts. They can offer convenience, flexibility, and tax benefits for donors, but they can also pose some communication challenges for fundraisers. How do you effectively communicate with donors who prefer giving portal programs? Here are some tips to help you build and maintain relationships with these donors.
The first step is to find out how the donor likes to communicate and what information they want to receive from you. Some donors may prefer email, phone, or social media, while others may opt for mail or newsletters. Some donors may want to hear about your impact, your needs, or your stories, while others may only want to receive receipts or acknowledgments. You can use surveys, feedback forms, or conversations to learn about the donor's preferences and tailor your communication accordingly.
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Raymond Foster
International Law Enforcement Consultant, Rotarian, Mason, Public Speaker
Effectively communicating with donors who prefer giving portals requires a combination of technological savvy & personalized engagement. Maintain a user-friendly & secure giving portal that is easily accessible: Regularly update donors on portal's features, functionalities, & impact of their contributions. Personalize communication by sending tailored emails/messages acknowledging their support & providing detailed information on the specific projects or causes their donations have benefited. Offer opportunities for engagement through the portal, such as progress updates, success stories, and interactive features. Building trust is key; ensure security of financial information & maintain transparency regarding how donations are allocated.
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Gabrielle L.
Digital Marketing Consultant @ Sault Media | Content Strategy | Freelance F&B Writer | Co-Founder, Queer Food Foundation
Building trust through effective communication is one of the main deciding factors of whether the donor eventually leaves the giving portal and becomes an individual donor. Most times, convenience and privacy are the two biggest factors. If you can: 1. Prove trustworthy to your donors 2. Respect their time and privacy 3. Ask them for input or advice all through effective communication, then you have a great chance of converting them into an individual donor.
The second step is to acknowledge the donor's gift promptly and sincerely. Depending on the giving portal program, you may not receive the donor's contact information or the gift amount, but you can still thank them for their support and generosity. You can use the giving portal's acknowledgment feature, if available, or send a personalized email or card. You can also include a call to action, such as inviting them to join your newsletter, follow your social media, or visit your website.
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John Walsh
Digital Fundraising Specialist | Nonprofit | Digital Marketing
Consider a multichannel approach to acknowledge a donor's gift. If a donor gives online, I recommend setting up an automated thank you email. The email should thank them, share more about the mission or project, and include an impact story. It can also have gift transaction details. But don't stop there. Depending on the donation amount you will want to send more communications. For large gifts, phone them and send a handwritten thank you note. You can also thank them personally via email. I love to see organizations send a real-time video, as well. Thank all you donors again a couple of days later with an update and success story. You can do this via email. Mail a tax receipt and thank you after the donation
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The third step is to engage the donor's interest in your cause and your organization. You can use storytelling, testimonials, or impact reports to show them how their gift is making a difference and what challenges or opportunities you are facing. You can also invite them to participate in your events, webinars, or campaigns, or ask them to share their feedback, opinions, or stories. You can also segment your donors based on their giving portal program and send them relevant and customized messages.
The fourth step is to cultivate the donor's loyalty and trust. You can do this by providing consistent and transparent communication, showing appreciation and recognition, and demonstrating accountability and stewardship. You can also use surveys, ratings, or reviews to measure the donor's satisfaction and loyalty, and use the results to improve your communication and services. You can also ask them to renew their support, upgrade their gift, or refer others to your organization.
The fifth step is to solicit the donor's advice and input. You can do this by asking them for their feedback, suggestions, or ideas on how to improve your organization, your programs, or your communication. You can also ask them for their expertise, skills, or connections that can help you achieve your goals or solve your problems. You can also involve them in your decision-making process, such as inviting them to join your board, your advisory committee, or your focus group.
The sixth step is to collaborate with the giving portal program that the donor uses. You can do this by learning about their policies, procedures, and requirements, and following them accordingly. You can also contact them to request the donor's information, to update your profile, or to resolve any issues or disputes. You can also partner with them to create joint campaigns, events, or resources that can benefit both the donor and your organization.
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Imtiaz Hussain
Development Practitioner
Communication is the key to success rather it belongs to program operation or program it may also effective for getting new funding opportunity , I emphasized that we should highlight our endevour on social media through pics ,videos and documentary etc it will give a way to donor to analyse your work. There is a simple traditional exercise of donor mapping where we put all the donors vertically and chalk out their preferences , their priorities and their other potential horizontally it will give a picture when we need new opportunities like a matrix.this will help me to communicate with donor as we already collected their preferences and their most like way of communication in our donor matrix sheet .
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M. Sahr Nouwah
Partnership | Capacity Development| Localization|Civil Society
Donor communication has a magical touch. Since donors often share information on quality and important players especially people who they keep for so long, it can be a magical touch if you give the donor what they want. But there are donors who actually look for innovation and people who help them see things differently. However, a donor whose way of communication is graphical, for the time being, gives what is demanded and gradually introduces innovation and inclusive communication language that increases impact and reach.