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« What Motivates Donors? | GQ for Generosity »
February 23, 2007
Donors Don't Trust You
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Cause Marketing
The president of Charity Navigator, an organization that evaluates charities, offers a stat that should be scary news for non-profits: 20% of the donations made through Network for Good (a Charity Navigator partner) were made anonymously. These donors chose to give money to a specific charity and then asked to be kept anonymous. The organizations receiving the donation had no idea who gave the money and had no way to respond or thank them.
So why would someone choose to donate this way?
The most likely reason is that these donors have no interest in being contacted by the charity they're donating to. They like the cause, but not the non-profit. They're received one too many pieces of junk mail. And they're cutting you off. Charities have dropped the ball by not courting donors and donors are getting sick of it. The next logical step? No more donations, anonymous or otherwise.
So what's a non-profit to do?
- Give speedy receipt of donations.
- Explain what the donation actually went to (and it better match up with what the donor wanted).
- Let your donors know precisely how their gift helped. We're talking measurable results.
(the three reasons cited by Charity Navigator's president for why people stop donating)
You need to make your donors feel like a million bucks, not like a cash cow being milked. In the words of the Donor Power Blog:
Your only defense: earn the right to have relationships with donors. Make it so being on your list is the coolest experience around, and they spread the word.
Unfortunately I'm not aware of any non-profit that makes me feel that cool when I donate. But I wish I did.
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Comments
Love your guys focus but is this is non-story - a fifth of charity givers prefer to not receive direct mailings.
Could it be they subscribe to the charities blog? Are an email newsletter member? Read their spouses or other member of the familys' mailings?
I guess the anonymity means we'll never know.
Although you are right to raise the issue of non-profits need to communicate faster and better...
Remeber, four fifths still like to receive that contact.
Peace
DK
Posted by: DK at March 2, 2007 11:16 AM