Ask! (Donāt Guess) : How Donor Surveys Help You Market Your Nonprofit with Heart, Not Hype
Apr 23, 2018
Have you ever heard of the term āblack box?ā
Not the fight recorder in a plane (which, interestingly enough, is actually orange), but the term describing a process or machine thatās kind of hard to understand. Computers are a great example. You can see the input; you press buttons to print out a document. You see the output; the page coming out of your printer. But what goes on in the āblack box?ā Most of us have no idea.
Sometimes I think donor relations is like that. You make an email fundraising appeal. One person donates $250, while another one unsubscribes from your list. Why? It sometimes feels like itās in the black box.
Iāve seen nonprofit professionals torture themselves over this. What did we do right? What did we do wrong? And it really doesnāt have to be that mysterious.
You could just ask them.
Surveys are a time-honored way of getting priceless insights from your supporters about why they were moved to give to your cause. It gives you the information you need so that you can address the things that matter to your donors and communicate to them with heart, not hype.
Surveying success, however, requires that you ask the right questions and position them in such a way to engage your supporters.
Here are a few tried and true survey tips Iāve used with many nonprofits to help get you started.
- Always remember itās about them, not you. This is the most important thing and itās going to factor into everything about your survey ā from the method you use to reach your donors to the questions you ask.
- Figure out the right way to contact your donors. It can be through an online survey, a phone call, one-on-one conversations, direct emails or even written surveys that you mail out. Typically, your method of outreach will depend on how your donor base best responds. Cost may also be a factor, but please remember that your up-front costs will be worth it because of increased retention and donations.
- Donāt call it a survey or āask for their input.ā Now Iām not trying to be cute here. Obviously, you are conducting a survey and hoping for their input. But using those words just makes your inquiry sound self-serving. Make it more about your donors with titles or email subject lines that say āPlease tell us what you thinkā or āYour Opinion Matters.ā
- Let them know this will be quick. Give them an expectation of how long this will take and how many questions you have. Telling them this up front will let them know you value their time and arenāt going to take advantage of it. (Have you ever done a survey that doesnāt seem to end? Have you ever given up half-way through in frustration? Donāt do that to you donors.)
- Segment your audience. How you frame your questions will be determined by whether your donor is a first-time contributor you are nurturing, a year after year supporter you are working to retain, or a former donor that you are trying to get back.
- Ask the right questions. And hereās where you will hit gold in your information prospecting. It will help you identify what goes on in that black box; primarily their reasons for connecting with you in the first place; why they support you; or, conversely, why they arenāt engaging with you.
Hereās some examples:
- For new donors, you could ask the primary reason for donating to your organization. Ask them to tell you what they hope their donation will accomplish. Why does your mission or cause matter to them?
- For repeat donors, ask them what interests them most about your organization. If you have multiple programs or services, ask them which ones they are supporting. If they were asked, what would these donors tell others about your group?
- Lapsed donors are a little more tricky. Itās important to let them know you are not trying to pressure them to give again; you just want to understand their mindset. So ask what got them interested in your organization in the first place. What do they feel would have the most impact on your mission? If they could lead your organization for one day, what would they do and why? And, lastly, why did they stop giving to your organization? Again, itās a good idea to reiterate that you arenāt asking to pressure them, but because you want to understand what your organization can do better in the future.
Relationships are always better when they are a two-way street. By encouraging your supporters to share their motivations, beliefs and aspirations with you, you get a glimpse of what goes on in the black box. Understanding that will allow you to better communicate āwithā your donors, instead of talking or marketing āatā them.
It will also benefit you in another way. All the leaders I know in the nonprofit world hate the idea of hype. They believe in their cause in the marrow of their bones and they donāt want to have to sell it; they want to share it with like-minded people.
Knowing why your supporters care and believe in your mission means you wonāt have to build up your nonprofit with hype; you can authentically communicate how, together, you and your donors will reach your goals and make the world a better place along the way.