Summer provides us all with great excuses to do less of that “all important” donor cultivation and communication. Vacations, weekends at the cabin, camp for the kids, family reunions. There are plenty of reasons that donors and volunteers won’t stay in touch with you.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make the effort to stay in touch with them.

Make a plan for keeping donors and volunteers “in the loop” and stick to it, even this summer. Here are a few quick suggestions:

• Maintain your current schedule of donor thank you calls as contributions arrive. Ideally these are made within about 48 hours of receiving the gift. Leaving a voice mail can have as much impact as speaking directly with the person.
• Send out monthly short, 250-word or less, email newsletter updates that generate some “feeling” about your work and provide some factual information. Less is more in length.
  Format to use: Share a short story or quote from a client, tell what’s working – briefly, and give at least one example of what’s missing (what you need more of).
• Invite a handful of donors to participate in a summer event like the client picnic or something special that happens at your camp. Personally phone the donors to invite them. Keep the amount of time short for them to participate and allow them to bring their family. Most importantly make sure the time spent is meaningful. Have a client shake their hand and thank them for their support or have them arrive just in time to see the kids get their end of camp awards.
  Remember: The donor doesn’t have to attend the event to have the invitation be of value. The phone call inviting them keeps you on their radar too.

Creating connections that keep your mission on donors minds for a few minutes this summer, combined with clear messages about how their contribution is making a difference, will impact the effectiveness of your year-end appeal.

My niece, Grace, is 5 years old and very special to me. She’s wise beyond her years and when she moved away from Minnesota to Florida, I was determined to keep in touch with her. I didn’t want her to forget me and I wanted to stay connected with what’s going on in her life. A year and a half later, she has taught me a few great tips for anyone we want to stay connected to, especially our donors and volunteers.

• 1. Don’t send too many emails. I’ve been told by my very precocious niece that she has “too much to do” to read all those emails.
• 2. As often as possible, include a photo in my email. Not surprisingly, Grace will NOT read or look at an email that doesn’t have a photo in it.
• 3. Only use the telephone for special meaningful conversations. Grace has been known to say, “Auntie, Why are you calling me again? You know I don’t like to talk on the telephone.” From that honest comment I learned to place my calls at times when she has something important to share OR when I have a short exciting bit of information to tell her.
• 4. Send snail mail sometimes, especially if it’s personalized. Grace gets excited when she checks the mail box and there is a fun envelope or package just for her. Come to think about it, so do I.
• 5. Ocassional in-person visits are helpful.  I visit Grace in person once or twice a year, when I was leaving on a recent visit she leaned over and whispered in my ear, “I’m gonna miss you Auntie”.
• 6. Overall, don’t try to communicate too often and keep it fun. Too much only becomes something to endure because “Mom” said so. Less is more and can cause a yearning for more information when the previous call, email or letter was so interesting.

Despite a few mishaps and too frequent communication on my part, I am happy to say, Grace and I are as connected as ever. I’m grateful for her taking time to teach me these lessons.

This week I heard about a donor, named Margaret, in her late 60’s, who called the office of a non-profit organization to let them know she wanted to be sure she was invited to the organizations big fundraising event next year. She said, “If I give you $500 today will you be sure I get to attend your event next year?”

Margaret called THEM to ask if she could make a financial contribution.

Though she missed the big event because she didn’t respond in time to the printed invitation, the day after the event was over Margaret heard about it all over town and wanted to be sure she was a part of it next year. That’s some donor connection!

The event was powerful and inspiring and so far has generated in gifts and pledges over $1.2 million. That’s right, million.

There was no magic to this outcome. Just work, all year long, to make sure people in the community know what the amazing work is that the organization does. At every opportunity staff and board members let the community know the cost of some of their programs and the gap in funding that the economy is handing to them.

There was no begging or pleading to get people to give. There WAS warmth, inspiration and lots of telling the truth. When a client spoke about how his life is better because of the organization the audience was in complete attention and listened attentively.

It’s possible in this economy to inspire giving. I know. I gave.

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