Burnout is a very real concern in the not-for-profits sector. It’s not just something that befalls staff members and volunteers, either. Donors can also fall victim to fatigue and decrease their interest and engagement with your NFP. To prevent burnout, you need to understand the natural cycles that affect your relationships with your donors and take steps to build your connection with them to keep increasing the results of your fundraising campaigns.
Build a Foundation
Regardless of whether it’s a personal or professional
relationship, it takes time to get to know others and establish rapport. In the
early days of your nonprofit, your focus should be on creating a donor
acquisition plan. During this stage of development, your main goals are to find
as many ways as possible to introduce your nonprofit, it’s work, and, yourself,
to your community.
Maintain Your Relationships
As interest begins to build in your nonprofit, it’s
important that you don’t spread yourself too thin. Recruit board members and
others in your organisation to help you with your outreach to your donors. Offer
fundraising campaigns that will appeal to a wide range of potential donors. Follow
up personally with those key individuals who are most excited and engaged with
your work.
As you work on maintaining and strengthening bonds with your
community, look for ways to gain insight and feedback from your service
beneficiaries, as well as your donors and other supporters. This way you can
learn more about the true needs in your community, and what donors want to see
from your organisation in terms of programs and services as well as
information. Make certain that your programs put beneficiaries first, to ensure
that your services are relevant.
Keep the channels of communication open and explain the
difference that you are making in human, relatable terms. Doing so will help to
build trust and credibility in your community. At this stage, you should be
encouraging those who make annual or one-time gifts to consider making
recurring gifts and always be encouraging your donors to support your
organisation in multiple ways.
Prepare for the Future
As the relationship between your donors and organisation
grows and matures, look for ways to show your gratitude to your key donors. In
addition to thank you notes and acknowledgements which you should send to all donors
at every level, celebrate how much your organisation has already been able to
accomplish. Keep in touch with your key donors and keep them informed about the
progress you are making. Share and emphasise your nonprofit’s vision for the
future.
Ask donors for their insight and input on your future goals
and what type of impact they would like to see occur. Use the information that
you learn to create proposals that are tailored to the needs of individual donors
and ask them to consider making a substantial investment in your work so that
together, you can build a better future for your community.
