Mastering donor engagement starts with a deep dive into what drives and interests your supporters. This step-by-step guide ensures that no donor slips through the cracks, armed with personalized outreach and customized fundraising strategies tailored just for them.
Step 1: Spot Your Superstars
Kick things off by pinpointing those who’ve shown interest but aren’t fully on board yet.
- Review Monthly Lists: Regularly sift through a list of potential engagers to decide who deserves a tailored touch from your team.
- Target Key Groups: Zoom in on:
- Donors reminded of a gift anniversary but didn’t contribute.
- Individuals who signed up for events but were no-shows.
- Fans who replay your video messages or react to your social posts about events, holidays, or campus life.
For instance, those replaying videos or engaging on social have already waved a flag of interest. Assign gift officers to reach out with personalized notes, engaging video messages, LinkedIn connections, or friendly calls.
Step 2: Leverage Social Insights for Smarter Outreach
Once you’ve identified and segmented donors or engagers, the next step is to customize your outreach based on what matters most to them.
- Analyze Alumni Engagement: Understand what alumni are saying and what they want to hear.
- Take Stock: Before referring prospects to gift officers, analyze how alumni talk about your institution online.
- Develop a Content Strategy: Create content that aligns what graduates want to hear with fundraising priorities.
The team at Miami University mastered this craft by creating content that resonated with alumni and tying it to their fundraising strategy. Learn more about their approach!
Step 3: Craft content that connects
Now, let’s focus on developing content that resonates with alumni and ties into your fundraising efforts.
- Align Your Stories: Make sure your posts mirror the narratives and asks you’re sending out.
Example: Miami University’s posts about shark tagging (yes, you read that right!) synced perfectly with a related fundraising ask, aligning interests and enhancing engagement. Learn more.
Step 4: Monitor and Engage
Keep tabs on who’s interacting and follow up swiftly for that personal touch.
- Stay on Top of Engagement: Use EverTrue to monitor interactions that align with your fundraising goals.
- Personalized Engagement Strategy: Develop a strategy to engage individuals based on their interaction patterns. For instance, someone who frequently comments on scholarship-related posts might appreciate a direct message or email highlighting new scholarship opportunities or success stories.
Example: At Miami University, any interaction on their posts gets a personalized follow-up within two business days, ensuring timely and relevant engagement. Learn more.
Step 5: Transition warm leads to gift officers
Once you’ve ignited interest through effective digital engagement, it’s crucial to deepen those sparks into lasting flames. This is where your gift officers come in.
- Pass the baton: Consider individuals who respond to social media posts as warm leads, and pass them off to engagement or major gift officers. Try EverTrue’s collaborative tasks to make sure nothing gets missed.
- Prepare for Success: Equip your team with all the interaction history and interests of the lead, so the conversation feels informed and personalized from the start.
Step 6: Personalize follow-up conversations
Now, your gift officers take the stage. It’s their turn to turn interest into investment by personalizing their outreach and making each donor feel uniquely valued.
- Deepen the Dialogue: Begin with the details gathered from previous engagements to tailor conversations that resonate on a personal level.
- Strategic Conversations: Gift officers should use data-driven insights to shape conversations that not only acknowledge past interactions but also align with the donor’s passions and the institution’s needs.
Step 7: Deliver Impactful Stewardship
In donor stewardship, showing the tangible impact of contributions is crucial for building trust and encouraging continued support. This final step is about closing the loop with gratitude and transparency.
- Share Impact Stories: Regularly communicate the outcomes and successes enabled by their contributions. Use vivid storytelling and real-world examples to highlight the impact.
- Ongoing Appreciation: Develop a stewardship plan that includes regular updates, exclusive insights, and opportunities for donors to see their impact first-hand.
Exxample: The FSU Foundation ensures that donors are not just thanked but are shown how their donations have been used. Through personalized videos and impact reports shared on social platforms, donors can see the direct results of their contributions, such as scholarships awarded or research advancements made. Learn more.
Every interaction can be — and should be — a stepping stone towards greater impact and enduring partnerships. The heart of successful fundraising lies in genuinely understanding and connecting with your supporters.
Take these insights, tailor them to fit your unique community, and watch as your engagement efforts translate into a thriving network of committed supporters. And if you’d like to chat more about how EverTrue can help, let us know!