Donor Relations: Getting To Know Your Donors

We hear it all the time. You should have a better relationship with your donors. You should get to know them. You should be closer to them. You should know what’s important to them. But really, in honesty, you can’t do that with everyone. Unless you have fewer than a couple hundred donors, which for some of you, you do, and in that case, I would try to get to know them all personally.

But if you have more than a couple hundred donors, you’ll have to do something else. And I think this is where a lot of people struggle. They’re not really sure how to get to know their donors.

What Can You Do?

Engage with them online. When people comment on one of your posts, respond and comment back. Say thanks for your comment. That was a valuable insight, or I’m glad that post topic resonated with you.  Ask a question.  Have a conversation and engage them.  Then make a note…ideally in your database.

When it comes to direct mail, make notes about your donors when the donations come in.  Did they send you back a check? If they did, chances are there in the elder generation. And that can say a lot about them and what’s important to them right there. 

You can approach your donors generally through demographics. Of course, there’s lots of information on that.  You can read my previous articles here: How to use Demographics in Fundraising Part 1 and Part 2.

Events & Surveys

When you do your events, be at the registration table. Check people in. Find out their names, put a name to the face, and make some notes when you talk to them at an event. I love the notepad app on my phone.  Make notes and remember them.

You can send out a survey as part of a direct mail strategy. Try to learn a little more about people. Again, you might be surprised by what they tell you about themselves. Some people hate surveys, and they’ll only do it if they have to. Other people love them, and they can’t wait to give you their opinions. But be careful what you ask for and make sure you’re inviting the right kinds of conversations. In other words, make sure your survey is tight on what you ask and what you want to know.

Your Most Valuable Donors

In major gifts, we do this naturally. We get to know people; we know everything about them so that we can present them with the right ask to further our mission and achieve their dreams and passions. But it gets a little harder once you get down to the $25 donor you don’t interact with often, if at all.  

Another group I would highly encourage you to get to know is your monthly donors, no matter the level they’re giving at. No one is more committed to you than a monthly donor. You should know all of their names, and you should know who they are.

Be Creative and Investigate

You can also do a little investigative work. You have donors’ names and addresses right there in your database. Look them up on social media. Look them up on Google or LinkedIn. See who they are. Even just seeing a picture and saying oh, I think they’re a boomer, or they’re an elder or a millennial can tell you a lot about them and help you connect and begin to build a relationship with them.

So, what information are you looking for? Probably their age. What programs do you have that interest them the most? Whether they like coming to your events and being a part of the crowd. Or maybe they prefer being one-on-one with the executive director or a board member. What resonates with them about your mission? 

Conclusion

There are so many things you can find out about your donors—and probably lots you already know. But if you’re going to develop a deeper relationship with them, it means a little bit of effort and getting to know them, and you’ll have to make the time to do that.  But when you do, you just might get a donor for life.