by Dave Martin
Nonprofits are constantly being told to personalize communication with donors to increase loyalty and financial giving. And it makes sense, right? If someone says, “Hello, Amanda,” instead of “Hello, Valued Donor,” Amanda feels seen. This positive interaction is more likely to lead to a relationship and engagement with this organization.
Why Personalization Matters
Personalization means designing or tailoring an experience or product to meet a specific individual’s or group’s needs. When talking about nonprofit emails, we're just talking about taking the data in your fundraising software and using it in your communications. Personalization includes calling donors by name, wishing them a happy birthday, or asking after a sick spouse.
Here are some reasons personalization matters. It helps nonprofits:
- Break through the clutter of mass advertising. The average person sees thousands of daily advertisements from multiple platforms, but most of those ads aren't personalized.
- Get an increased response rate because the donor feels relevant.
- Drive loyalty, which shows up as repeat gifts.
- Provide a good donor experience, which increases the likelihood that the donor will tell friends and family about the organization.
- Show donors the real outcome and value of their gifts.
- Increase the value of financial gifts.
How to Personalize Your Donor Experience
- Train your team and volunteers. Use first names and pay attention to preferences, including titles and nicknames.
- Use your donor’s preferred name for every communication, not just planned interactions. A robust CRM can help with this; nonprofits have plenty of solid software choices.
- Take note of donor preferences for communication and follow through with them. Pay attention to their preferred methods of communication, the kind of information they want, and how often they want to hear from you.
- Follow up on donor feedback. This is the gold standard for building relationships! If a donor makes a suggestion or even criticizes something, respond to them. Thank them for reaching out, and then explain why you can't implement their idea or how you plan to. Every time a donor contacts your nonprofit, it's an opportunity for you!
- Offer choices! Do supporters want to volunteer? While all nonprofits appreciate monetary donations, having an army of volunteers is priceless.
CharityEngine Helps Personalize Your Communications
Easy-to-use donor management and fundraising software allows nonprofits to store extensive data. With unified data, that 360-degree view of your donors helps imbue all your communications and makes them much more effective.
Our AI-backed giving probability also helps you craft compelling and timely communications for donors. The system scans tens of thousands of data points and uses advanced algorithms to show you, at a glance, who your hottest donors are—the ones most likely to give if you ask today. It takes into account their giving history and their engagement, showing you a recommended ask that is optimized for that donor.
The platform offers extensive automation capabilities, meaning you can segment your donors and ensure your outreach and messaging are appropriate for each group. Some donors prefer phone calls versus emails, and different aspects of your mission might appeal to different groups. Understanding what motivates them and launching an automated communications series is smart and strategic fundraising.
When prospects land on your donation page, what do they see? CharityEngine provides fully optimized donation forms, ensuring donors can give how and how often they want.
Personalization Guarantees Better Results
Most of our clients rely heavily on personalization to form closer donor relationships. Their choice of software helps, but it doesn't mean CharityEngine is the only platform that can help you with personalization.
Once your team understands the inherent benefit and notes the data you already have, they'll find new and nuanced ways to communicate with donors. Better donor relationships mean more engagement and giving, and then more frequent engagement and giving, and ultimately, a group of rock-solid sustainers.
If you're in the market for new software and want to see the power of unified data, call us. We'd love to show you around.
