Development officers and board can help your nonprofit by engaging one-on-one with your top donors. These may be donors who are considered “major gift donors” or they may be donors who have given modest levels to you over a very long period of time. By engaging them in conversation, you’ll learn what they like best about your programs and deepen their relationship with you.
Quite often, these conversations will uncover information that will never be found through online prospect research. Yet, they will get to the heart of “Why” someone invests in your nonprofit. Understanding their “Why” will yield larger gifts, planned gifts, and the prospect of multi-generational giving.
After your visit, it is critical to enter the data into your donor database. Don’t skip this important step! It will be the continuity a donor will expect to be in place when future visits & conversations take place with different personnel and board members.
Here are just some questions to consider asking during your visit:
Why did you first give to our nonprofit? What motivates you to continue supporting us?
What do you like best about our nonprofit? What can we do to improve?
What are the most critical results you expect our nonprofit to produce? Have we met your expectations? Are we communicating those results appropriately to you?
How does our organization compare to others with a similar mission?
What are you most passionate about? Does our organization help feed that passion?
What would you like to pass on to future generations?
Are you receiving our e-news and sharing it with your family & friends?
Are you on social media? Would you be willing to help us by serving as an online ambassador for future fundraising campaigns?
These are just some of the many questions you can use to get the conversation going. Deeper relationships will yield larger gifts.
Remember that old adage: “Ask them for money and they offer their advice. Ask them for advice, and they’ll give you money.”
Maria Semple is the Founder and CEO of The Prospect Finder LLC. Maria consults to small businesses and nonprofit organizations on email marketing, social media and prospecting strategies. Her book, "Magnify Your Business" was published in October 2015. She is also a Certified Solution Provider with Constant Contact.