Donor Recognition May 2, 2017
Skylar Beaver • Director of Annual Giving • Washington and Lee University • BA, Hobart and William Smith Colleges • MPA, SUNY Brockport • Past Chair of STAFF • Frequent presenter with CASE Page 1
Washington and Lee University • Founded in 1749 • Located in Lexington, VA • 1,800 students • 18,000 undergraduate alumni • Culture of unrestricted support – Alumni participation above 50% the past 6 years – $10M+ unrestricted Annual Fund • 9 Annual Giving staff members Page 2
Agenda • Understanding recognition in annual giving • Showing donors appreciation personally • Acknowledging giving for key segments • Recognizing donors publicly
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UNDERSTANDING RECOGNITION IN ANNUAL GIVING Page 4
What is recognition? According to the Association of Donor Relations Professionals:
Donor recognition, as a practice, offers three things to your audience of donors: 1. Access 2. Information 3. Experiences
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Why recognition is important • Makes donors feel appreciated • Lets them know they are part of a group • Reminds them of their gift’s past impact • Serves as other form of engagement • Cultivates the relationship • Inspires others to give
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Recognition comes in different forms • Gift acknowledgement letters and emails • Donor rosters • Phone calls • Emails • Handwritten notes • Meetings (individual and group) • Events Page 7
Characteristics of good recognition • Timely • Accurate • Personal • Thoughtful • Consistent • Strategic
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Common challenges to recognition • Data integrity • Donors giving to multiple funds, at different times, in different ways • Different donor expectations (based on their own giving history, constituency, or generation) • Complex organizations (multiple units recognizing the same donors) • Cumbersome processes (recurring gifts) • Staff turnover • Not always clear who is responsible for it Page 9
Who is responsible for recognition? • Annual giving staff (central vs. units) • Stewardship staff • Major gift officers • Student callers • Faculty • Volunteers
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SHOWING DONORS APPRECIATION PERSONALLY Page 11
Make communications more personal • Customize the salutation • Provide detail about the gift (date, amount, designation) • Include personal references in body or post script • Write it by hand/include a handwritten note • Have it come from or signed by someone meaningful • Deliver it personally Page 12
Acknowledgement letter vs. receipt Acknowledgement Letter • Utilize the person with the best relationship with the donor (if at all possible) or the person likely to feel the greatest impact of the donor’s generosity • A great acknowledgement letter may mention the purpose of the gift but must always mention the impact that the gift will have
Receipting • The receipt serves two purposes: 1. Acknowledges that it was received and on what date 2. Provides tax documentation, e.g., "No goods or services were received in return for this gift" Page 13
Be creative when acknowledging
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Printed vs. email Email • Cost-effective • Can include links to website or social media • Offers opportunity for interactions • Easy to track
Print • Often more personalized • Better suited for traditional audiences • Can be more memorable for donors to give again Page 15
Gift acknowledgement letter • Showcase brand identity of institution • Acknowledge them by name • Share an image or short story of what their gift supports • Say thank you and give the donor credit for the impact of their gift (or pledge) • Tell donors how they can be in touch with you if they have questions • Say thank you again! • Sign a real person’s name Page 16
Gift acknowledgement email • Short and concise • Automatic • Acknowledge the way the donor gave (online) • Include relevant receipt information • Personalize your messages with dynamically-populating fields for truly individualized interactions (e.g., name, gift designation, amount)
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Think short and sweet with email
Dear Skylar Beaver, Thank you for supporting Raise Our Game - Field Hockey on GiveCampus! Your support is critical to the campaign's success and will have a meaningful impact at Franklin and Marshall College. Your donation details are as follows: Donation date: 03/27/17 at 06:09PM EDT Donation amount: $5.00 Designation: Field Hockey Use these links to share this campaign with others! http://gvcmp.us/x672u8 Twitter Facebook
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Look to other organizations for ideas Skylar Beaver, Thank You!
Thank you for your $5 donation! Water changes everything. Preventable waterborne diseases are drastically reduced. Long walks to muddy ponds and rivers are no longer necessary. Time spent collecting water goes down, which gives women a chance to earn an income and children a chance at a better education. Clean water offers improved health, a higher quality of life and hope for a better future. – your friends at charity: water 100% of your donation will directly fund water project costs in the field, and you'll receive a formal tax receipt from charity: water within 24 hours.
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Show impact via email • Use a subject line that catches the donor’s attention • Focus on the donor: “YOU did it” • Share specific results • Photos warm the heart • Include access to more information, such as volunteering
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Images can enhance the thank you
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Thank you calls matter • Penelope Burke’s research: – 95% of donors would appreciate a thank you call within a day or two of a gift – 85% of donors said a call would influence them to give again – 84% of donors said they’d definitely or probably increase their gift – When a volunteer or board member called within 48 hours: • 42% larger gifts from those donors called • 39% more renewed their gifts Page 22
Thank you calls • Who to call • Who should make calls • When to make the calls • How to call • What to say
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Volunteers • Volunteers may be hesitant to make fundraising calls, but calling or emailing to say thank you is a great way to get them comfortable talking about philanthropy! • Give them the tools they need to be successful: – Basic information on donor – Area of support – Sample script – Notecards/stamps (if hand written notes are preferred over phone calls) • If you have fundraising volunteers, make it easy for them to send an “email blast” to groups of donors by designing a simple email template that doesn’t require too much text Page 24
Create templates that can be reused
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Staff handwritten notes • Personalization and customization will make the message seem more meaningful • Suggested times to send a handwritten note: – Upgraded gifts – Reactivated donors – On the anniversary of their first donation • Set aside 15 minutes each day and make this a priority Page 26
Calendar • Who to send it to • Timing of mailing • Cost-effectiveness • Is your institution OK with the “giving to get” idea?
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Be clear why they are recipients
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ACKNOWLEDGING GIVING FOR KEY SEGMENTS Page 29
POLL: Which segments would you say your organization is doing a great job recognizing?
• Leadership level donors • Loyal donors • Recurring gift donors • New donors • Reactivated donors (select as many as apply)
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General considerations • Their relationship with the institution (their constituency) • How they gave (phone, online, mail) • What they responded to (targeted appeal, giving day) • How much they’ve given • How frequently they’ve given • When they gave • What fund they gave to • What kind of recognition was promised/is expected Page 31
Be systematic about your approach $1,000-$2,499
$2,500-$4,999
$5,000-$9,999
$10,000+
Mailed receipt w/in 48 hours
X
X
X
X
Handwritten note from Director of Annual Giving
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Ack. letter from President
Stewardship Matrix: • Charts your general stewardship actions based on giving level – Should be segmented based on donor groups (can be super granular) • Should be used as a systematic method of determining which donors receive which kind of stewardship • Remember: even though this helps you approach your donors as groups, there is still individual stewardship needed! Page 32
Leadership donors • Events (on-campus and regional) • “Insiders News” from campus • Webinars/Conference calls led by campus leaders • Consider appropriate giveaway • Priority seating at select campus events
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Loyal donors • Keep stewardship simple: Under-promise and overdeliver • Don’t assume you know what your donors want: Ask your donors what matters to them when it comes to benefits • Don’t underestimate the power of loyalty – according to Bloomerang: – New donors are only renewing at a rate of 23% – Repeat donors are renewing at a rate of 60%
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Be intentional about stewardship
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Be creative when encouraging consistency
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Recurring gift donors • Recurring donors are a special group of supporters who love your institution enough to give a financial commitment on a consistent basis – thank these donors as often as you see fit • Network for Good recommends developing a relationship with recurring donors by thinking about the 3 P’s: – People + Process + Perfection • Don’t forget the year-end tax receipt in January • Consider segmenting any stewardship emails to recurring gift donors – focus on the fact that they are such a loyal donor and you are grateful Page 37
Emphasize amplified impact
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New donors need attention • According to a survey of organizations by Bloomerang, donor retention is declining: 46% in 2015, down from 50% in 2008 – This means we must attract and retain first-time donors to see a growth in donors • According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project’s 2016 Survey, only 19% of new donors to non-profits give again after their first gift – Once a donor gives a second time, 63% will give again • Clearly define what is a “first-time donor” for your organization – Then track your first-time donor retention rate – Great opportunity to test stewardship! Page 39
New donors need attention
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Reactivated donors
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Recognize other special groups
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RECOGNIZING DONORS PUBLICLY
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POLL: Do you publish an annual honor roll of donors?
• Print only • Email only • Print and email • None
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Donor Roster/Honor Roll • Often hard to measure the impact • Must consider confidentiality concerns • Print – Expensive – Can’t edit once printed! • Email – Cheap – Easily searchable – Flexible Page 45
Online platforms can enhance recognition
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Plaques or other physical recognition • Consider administrative burden and cost • Don’t let this be an afterthought • Electronic displays offer more flexibility • Make certain that the “naming cost” is significant enough to take care of the maintenance of the item • Consider potential upgrades to buildings – this creates awkward situations when it comes to plaques or physical recognition Page 47
Opportunities to be creative • Oregon State Athletics: “Build the DAM” Campaign – Builds on already popular mantra at institution – Makes people feel apart of something bigger than themselves • Mary Baldwin University: Alumnae House “Pave the Way” Campaign – Allows people to give as an individual or a group – Encourages multi-year pledges Page 48
Opportunities with events • Access in that the idea of a gathering comes with the expectation that the guest list will be exclusive in some way • Information in that your program should convey something special • Recognition in that the group is gathered for the purpose of recognizing them as a whole as special honorees
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Utilize Reunion to celebrate giving • Recognize and celebrate commitments at all levels! • Reunion offers a great opportunity to encourage multi-year commitments – If a donor pledges $5,000 a year/5 years, celebrate them as a $25,000 donor (not a $5,000 donor) • Reunion or other campus events can aid in promoting a little competition between classes or groups
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Videos, images, and social media • Facebook and Twitter are powerful tools for simple shout-outs and thank yous! • Not only does the post let them know you’ve received their donation and you’re grateful for it, it also tells everyone of their commitment to your institution • In a world where mass communication is the most cost-effective route, personalization at this level is often unexpected! • Consider adding a field on your donation form to collect their twitter handles to ensure you have your donors’ correct social media information • Feature donors and their stories on websites – Ask yourself: Why this person? Why not? What’s the point from a marketing perspective? What are you trying to achieve by telling this story about this person? Page 51
Videos, images and social media cont. • Retweet and repost content from your donors • Tweet thanks: use key hashtags like #ThankfulThursday • Facebook Live and Instagram allow you to make short videos from your iPhone and tweet thanks • Provide exclusive access: conduct a webcast on Facebook with a key administrator or lead volunteer • Display impact: photos catch individuals’ attention and tug at their heartstrings • Think about a thank you campaign on social media
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Images and videos can enhance engagement
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Key Takeaways • Make the case for donor recognition and why it is important • Evaluate your current recognition strategies • Consider small tweaks to your current recognition, including expanding those who can be effective at saying thank you! • Develop a system for acknowledging, get everyone on board, and stick to it • Make sure you are recognizing key segments differently: just like solicitation isn’t a one size fits all, stewardship isn’t either • Be creative with things that already exist (e.g., Reunion) • Recognition isn’t just plaques and honor rolls anymore, though these still are important – don’t forget online opportunities including social media Page 54
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