Our sister firm DonorTrends has just been in the field with a survey on donor loyalty for a major national nonprofit. This group has been around a few decades, long enough to develop some considerable brand awareness and loyalty.
Here’s an interesting finding:
Respondents are three times more likely (60% to 22%) to think of the organization as an "acquaintance" than as a "friend."
What distinguishes a friend from an acquaintance? Trust … greater familiarity … openness … acceptance … mutual respect … availability … shared values.
Let’s posit that one might expect loyalty from a friend, but not so much from an acquaintance.
And maybe the same is true about an organization and its donors. Then, how might an organization nurture more friendships than acquaintanceships?
My mind goes to personalization. Here’s one thing I’d try, in the interest of putting a face on my organization. Maybe you’ll think it’s a dumb one.
I’d literally put a face in my donor/member communications. If the action alert is from Fred, I’d include a thumbnail photo of Fred by his signature. If the contribution acknowledgement is from the "Membership Director," I’d replace that with "Joan" and include her thumbnail photo … or even better: "Delores" … a long time supporter, with photo, welcoming the newbie to the fold.
Obviously earning donor loyalty requires more substantive ingredients than photos. But I do think that loyalty can be reinforced by introducing real people into the relationship.
As I think about the relationship between brands and people, I’m reminded of the current angst over the health of Steve Jobs at Apple. Indications that Jobs was seriously ill sent Apple’s stock plummeting a few months ago. Now the computer world is anxiously awaiting whether he will deliver his trademark new product presentation to this week’s Apple developers’ conference.
What do you think? Is it too much to expect an organization to have friends? And if it can have some friends (proving such bonds are indeed possible), why not a lot of friends?
Tom
This article was posted in: branding, communications, Don't Miss these Posts, donor retention, DonorTrends, loyalty, nonprofit management.
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It is not adumb idea. For a nonprofit for which I directed fundraising, we always included a picture of the signator. However, when that picture changed, noting a new signator, we heard about it.
We always use thumbnails in our emails. We find it builds connection. Each of our senders also has an individual voice. People seem to get very attached to them.
Tom, I’m a day late here in responding to your June 10 post, but what you covered is a keystone issue in effective organizational advancement and relationship management, so I wanted to respond. What you posited is a critical concern, and what you suggested is so very far from dumb! My own view of organizational relationship management dynamics — and the one I try to pass on to all clients — is that it’s rather the same as in the personal relationships between people. The more important and valued a personal relationship is, the more personal one should try to make the communication and interaction with that individual. It’s not complicated. We all do it — by instinct! A greeting card with a friendly note on a birthday or anniversary. A phone call of concern when someone is ill. A gift of flowers when a friend is grieving over the loss of a loved one. In all of those situations, we personalize the message and the “touch” as best we can. So, too, should organizations in every “touch” with a constituent/donor. Put faces to signatures. Communicate with them as we do with friends, and they will be inclined to feel and respond as friends. It’s not rocket science. It should be just everyday instinct!