Can't we teach donors how to behave? Do we really want them to?


By Luke Vander Linden

Once upon a time, donors knew how to behave themselves. When asked to write a check, a lot of them did. When we called them at home, many pulled out their credit cards. And when told to call a 1-800 number to pledge support, the response was great. Yeah, those were the days...

...or were they?

Now, all the talk is about “multi-channel” donors and how they’re the most valuable. As if getting that second gift isn’t hard enough – now we have to get it through an additional channel. What does all this really mean and why can’t today’s donors behave themselves?

Luckily, the world hasn’t really changed all that much; it’s just that our donors’ view of it has. The internet has ushered in a new world that’s changed the way donors look at direct mail. The problem is that the majority of organizations are still stuck in their old ways.

Here’s an example: You just completed the “fall mailing.” How did it do? Your report has a number representing direct mail response. Maybe there’s another line for a follow up mailing. How many people gave online? Did you get a bunch of gifts through your online “Join” or “Support” page this month? Does that money go to a different department within your organization? Are you able to access those online gift givers, or are they now stored in a separate database? What about those people who gave through some other method, perhaps at an event or over the phone? The direct mail response report isn’t telling the whole story, yet that’s how some organizations judge the success of a campaign.

Usually, it’s not that bad. Some organizations do use telemarketing to support their fall mailing – they likely get healthy revenue from that channel. Some send a follow-up email, which usually generates a handful a gifts. That’s integrated marketing … and that’s a great start.

Some organizations realized fairly early that when they had an event or high-profile campaign, direct mail response increased. So, they started timing their mail around pledge drives or advertising campaigns or the annual gala. But all this amounted to was the direct mail staff benefitting from the hard work of other departments. These efforts weren’t analyzed together – and related parts are far more valuable as a whole than on their own.

So, what is the best way to operate in this not-so-new, multi-channel world?

  1. Change the way you look at the marketing tools that are available.
  2. Realize the new way your donors and supporters look at you.

Make a list of every way you reach your constituents. Here’s some help to get started:

Try to think of everything. Then, label those channels as “Outbound” or “Inbound” (in some cases, a channel could be both).

Outbound tools are used to send information – in your case, this is usually a fundraising call-to-action. They deliver a message to a prospect or supporter. When you send direct mail or email, or if you air an infomercial or use other types of advertising, you’re using outbound tools.

Inbound tools are those that can be used to reply to that call-to-action. Direct mail is both outbound, and inbound, because it has a reply device and a return envelope. A gift can be made via the telephone, so telemarketing is also inbound. Gifts can be made online, so the internet is inbound.

However, many channels that are considered inbound really aren’t. Although technology exists for secure forms to be placed within email, and the ability to make purchases by pressing a button on a set-top cable box is almost a reality, neither are commonly used. Supporters still have to “click” to go online, pick up the phone or go to a physical location to reply. More likely, they can find that direct mail piece they left on their desk and send it back with a contribution instead.

Once you understand outbound and inbound media, you’ll begin to realize how many ways a donor can respond to campaigns. Donors have been trained – by banks, utility companies, online retailers – to expect be able to do anything online that they can do offline. They expect to be able to interact with organizations when and how they want. We have no choice but to meet these expectations.

This is really nothing new, the internet just made it obvious. Some studies show that over 50% of all gifts made on the internet are from a completely unknown source – “online white mail.” Donors go to websites without being told, either by guessing the website address or by searching at google.com.

More and more, traditional direct mail responders are choosing to go online to research an organization – check its rating, its mission, how it spends its budget, etc. – before making a gift. These multi-channel donors actually have the highest average gifts, response rates and lifetime value.

Almost as valuable are traditional direct mail donors who give because they appreciate email newsletters and other forms of online engagement. Even if these supporters never make a gift online, if they’ve been communicated with online, they’re significantly more valuable to your organization.

It’s vital that all aspects of a campaign are well coordinated. You shouldn’t be planning “the Fall mailing,” rather the “integrated Fall campaign.” Email and online must support direct mail and telemarketing, but not replace them. Don’t use email as your only integrated electronic component, represent each campaign prominently on our websites as well. Even if it’s just a button that links to a distinct donation form, each campaign must have a unique and separate presence online.

Campaign reporting must also be integrated. All responses and all campaign channels – direct mail, email, online, telemarketing – must be reported together with an eye toward which media were most effective in supporting others.

Integrated campaigns provide your donors with better and easier access to you in the ways they prefer. This level of coordination shows donors that your organization is professional, trustworthy and worth supporting.

In the past, our donors worked hard to find us and to give to us – they behaved. Now, it’s time that organizations behave by reaching out and working even harder for donor support.