Many nonprofits aren’t giving donors what they want.

And then those same nonprofits wonder why donors aren’t giving them what THEY want – donations.

Donors want a whole range of things in exchange for their gifts. One of those things surely is the intangible benefit of thinking of oneself as a good person.

And why not? Why shouldn’t donors think of themselves this way? Donors ARE good people for giving.

But many nonprofits fail to tap into this in their fundraising appeals. Maybe they think it’s too sentimental or too melodramatic. Nonsense.

You want to connect with your donors on a practical level (I’m sending food for starving people), but you also want to connect with donors on an emotional level (I’m doing something good that I can be proud of, something that shows I’m a good person.).

So how do you communicate this important intangible benefit to donors?

There’s the tried-and-true donor appreciation certificate with the donor’s name on it, saying how wonderful they are. That says, “you’re a good person for giving.”

There are special awards, like a Good Neighbor Award, that send the good-person message.

There are impact reports saying, “you made this good work possible,” which the donor understands as “I’m a good person for doing this.”

There are memberships in giving groups, like president’s clubs, where donors can see themselves as good people in the company of other good people

There’s messaging. You can suggest, you can imply, you can even come right out and say, “You’re a good person!” in donor communications.

There are many more ways to convey to donors that they’re good people. And when you give donors what they want, they’re more likely to return the favor. See the whole story at https://tinyurl.com/28e4pkjp