publication date: Nov 8, 2011
|
author/source: Jonathon Grapsas
A few weeks
back I helped a client set up a teleconference to thank donors who had
supported a capital campaign. It was pretty basic stuff - send some simple, but
personal invitations to an exclusive briefing, use email and mail, offer
supporters an inside look at how things were progressing.
We invited
around 5,000 donors to join us for 20 minutes to hear the CEO deliver an update
on the campaign's progress and say thank you. Then the parent of a child who
was a benefactor of their services would talk about how the new facilities
would change their child's life.
353 donors
responded.
That's
around 7% who RSVPd with their intention to attend. Not bad at all.
328
telephoned to say they couldn't make it. Yes, you read that correctly. 328 nos.
What
"no" really meant
On face
value it would be easy to feel a little despondent about the number of of
responders saying they couldn't make it.
But think
about it for a moment.
More than
300 people took the time to pick up the phone and talk to someone. They had the
courtesy to reply personally to let the team know they had other engagements on
the day.
How deep
does that suggest the level of engagement is between these wonderful people and
the organization? Of course we'll monitor their subsequent behavior over time
and assess the true value of saying no.
Not
surprisingly we've already received some further gifts from those who were
invited.
The
secret
The secret
is - there wasn't any. We sent a warm, personal invitation to join an exclusive
update. We made it easy (to respond and to join), and we promised to share some
examples of how their support was truly changing peoples' lives, which we duly
delivered on.
What's
next?
The
teleconference has been turned into a podcast for all and sundry to listen to
(and being sent to all invitees). There will be subsequent appeals for support
to finish the capital campaign off over the coming months, and invitations for
donors to visit the new site and see how they're changing lives.
And most
importantly, lives will be changed.
The
lessons learned-
Saying
"no" isn't always a bad thing, particularly when it's attached to a personal
phone call that includes a heartfelt thank you (for the invite).
-
Ensure
we make supporters feel special, part of a unique and exclusive group.
-
Make
everything easy.
-
Hold
a donor teleconference really soon.
Jonathon Grapsas is the founder and director at flat
earth direct, an agency dedicated to fundraising and campaigning for good
causes. Jonathon spends his time working with charities around the world
focused on digital, direct response and campaigning stuff.
If you'd like to chat to Jonathon you can drop
him a line, follow him on
twitter or check out www.flatearthdirect.com