Donors Recruiting Donors July 11, 2005

Your donors support you for a variety of reasons, the most important of which is they believe in your mission. Turn your donors into evangelists for your cause--equip them to recruit other donors. Here are a few ideas:

• Have them hold house parties in your honor, where either you or they make a brief (5 minutes) presentation.
• Ask them to recruit two friends for your next low-pressure general event. While ultimately you want them to donate, you have to win over their hearts first. Use educational events as a way to develop their support first, then make the ask later through a phone call or letter.
• Ask your donors to email their friends asking for support. Create the email for them and ask them to personalize it. Make sure the email has a link back to your site, which should have ways to donate in plain view. If you don't take donations online yet, try PayPal.com, Acteva.com, or Networkforgood.org (there are many others, and we will offer something this Fall that integrates nicely with GiftWorks).

These are just a few ideas. Most of them are things political candidates do for their campaigns--there is a lot to learn from them. Tell me your thoughts on this--do you have any ideas about recruiting new donors?

Comments

BEWARE the Round To-IT

One of the best ideas for unique marketing/fundaising events is to forge links that are totally on target. What do I mean?

If you're in childcare, you recruit PlaySkool (not Best Buy)as a partner. Your giveaways are not only child-themed, but tied to your message-of-the-year. If you MOTY is "Teach a child, build a citizen," then your tschotchkes are first readers or alphabet blocks, or pencil boxes.

If you're in animal protection, then PetSmart(or the local equivalent) is your partner. Depending on your message this year, your giveaway or poster or ticket stub features dog tags, cute puppy stuff, something that says SpayToday, pawprints, etc.

It's not always the easiest match to find, but the value derived is in the memorability of your link and the reinforcement of your message. Remember: it takes the average human three impressions to get the idea. Don't let them remember you with the association of "getting around/or not getting around to it."