29. Q & A Presentation available for download at CampbellRinker.com Check CampbellRinker.com for updates and new releases from the DonorPulse Study and Donor Confidence Report Honing Your Fundraising Message
Editor's Notes
Broadcast donors are more likely to give as Altruists or Repayers than any other giving style. Communitarians give out of belonging to a social community The Devout give good because it is God's will or a moral obligation. Investors see philanthropy as "good business." Socialites do good work because it can be fun. Altruists give because it provides a sense of purpose and personal fulfillment. Repayers do good in return for what they have received in life. Dynasts see philanthropy as a family tradition.
Seven Faces of Philanthropy – by Prince and File, published by Jossey Bass. The “faces” are Communitarians, the Devout, Investors, Socialites, Altruists, Repayers and Dynasts. Communitarians give out of belonging to a social community The Devout give good because it is God's will or a moral obligation. Investors see philanthropy as "good business." Socialites do good work because it can be fun. Altruists give because it provides a sense of purpose and personal fulfillment. Repayers do good in return for what they have received in life. Dynasts see philanthropy as a family tradition.
This familiarity is undoubtedly channel-driven, spurred by interesting, appealing and caring personalities. Broadcast ministries should leverage this advantage by appealing to donors with the voice of the dominant on-air personality across all media the ministry utilizes for donor communications. To be effective, non-broadcast ministries must also write to donors in the first person and use a consistent signer that donors identify as being ultimately influential in the work of the ministry.
Reputation is more important to broadcast donors prior to a first gift than it is to non-broadcast donors. Broadcast ministries (perhaps more than others) must clearly convey independent, third-party endorsements and bona-fides such as BBB, ECFA, Charity Navigator or others in their on-air appeals. Broadcast ministries might do better at explaining how the donors’ gifts make a difference.
Non-broadcast donors might be more willing to support a different organization if it more closely matches their need for reputation or end results.
What is a promoter? Someone who says they are extremely likely to recommend your organization, product or service to someone else. The concept of the Net Promoter Score is discussed fully in the book “the Ultimate Question” by Fred Reicheld and published by Harvard Business Press.
Organizations have long recognized the value in securing personal endorsements toward obtaining first-time gifts from new donors. One of the first and most important steps might be to simply ask donors to mention the organization, or prompt donors with conversation starters as a way to get them talking among their friends and colleagues. This shows that broadcast ministries are in a better position than non-broadcast groups to capitalize on generating word of mouth with their existing donor relationships. However, they have a long way to go toward establishing a comparably large group of promoters compared to other established brands.
So, now that you as a broadcast donor know what you need to do, I’m going to tell you how to accomplish that task. There are tools available that will tell you specifically what you need to do to improve the potential for your donors to be a promoter. It all starts with nine essential service quality factors.
These are the five highest out of nine service quality factors that have the strongest association with repeat giving. Donors to non-broadcast ministries are more satisfied with how the organization informs them of how their money is spent (4.1 out of 5 vs. 3.8) Donors to broadcast ministries are more satisfied with how the ministry they support cares about their needs, offers them choice in communications and gives them opportunities to support their work in non-financial ways. Others: Thanking me appropriately, Recognizing the contribution(s) I’ve made in the past, Making it clear why my continued support is needed, and Using an appropriate style/tone in their communications
What does your organization currently do to measure donor engagement, delight or satisfaction? How could we communicate the messages that engage donors more effectively? How could our organization turn our donors into promoters?
