How to connect donors with your mission

Connecting supporters with a cause is at the crux of everything charities do. It drives donations, volunteer recruitment, and raises awareness of the issue the charity exists to address.

 

Emotionally engaging with supporters has always been at the heart of this process. In fact, donating is very much an emotional journey. Evidence has shown that appeals that make supporters feel sad about the current situation can drive empathy and subsequently donations. But donors can also feel joy through donating, as they spread positivity. Giving money to a good cause makes them feel good.

 

However, there is a fine balance to be struck when it comes to driving empathy and building trust with supporters. A charity’s narrative should not be exploitative or overly distressing – it must come from a place of authenticity, in keeping with their brand and their cause. It relies on charities telling their story responsibly and respectfully, for both donors and beneficiaries.

 

Here we explore how charities can do this effectively, to deepen the connection between themselves and their supporters, and what it is exactly donors want to know.

 

 

What donors want

 

Telling the story of a charity and its work begins with transparency. Donors want to know where exactly their money is going to and what activities it is helping to fund.

 

The Nonprofit Storytelling e-book, from accounting software firm Sage Intacct, points to research that reveals around seven in ten donors look up an organisation’s overall efficiency before

donating, with philanthropic impact and general reputation also factoring highly. They want to know their money will help and that their chosen charity will act responsibly.

 

Donors will care more – and donate more to – an organisation that they feel reflects their values and priorities. Developing a narrative around their donation, from the moment it is given to the difference it makes on the front line, therefore builds trust between supporters and the organisation. Supporters can be confident that their money is making an impact in the right way.

 

Overall, connecting donors with your mission is about sharing your vision. Using powerful imagery, case studies, and showing the impact of your fundraising efforts emphasises the need for your charity and brings your work to life for supporters.

 

 

Telling the right story at the right time

 

A charity’s brand – its message, hashtag, images, colour scheme, font, tone of voice, etc. – is like its personality. It will resonate with your supporters and should be recognisably you across all channels.

 

Your brand will help donors remember you and it is a big part of why donors return to support charities after their initial interaction. So making sure your narrative fits with that is vital. If you try to communicate something to your audience that doesn’t feel authentic, the response is likely to be much less positive.

 

It is also worth taking generational differences into account. Charities want to reach as many people as possible when raising awareness of their mission but applying a one-size-fits-all approach to their communications is less effective than tailoring it to different demographics.

 

For example, those born before 1945 favour direct mail communications, while millennials and Generation Z are unlikely to respond to it. They can be more effectively reached through social media and mobile campaigns.

 

Meeting your supporters where they want to be met is the difference between telling your story to an empty room and speaking it to an enraptured crowd who give you a standing ovation at the end of it.

 

If your content is authentic, and fitting with your brand, and you tell it in the right way, people will listen. And when they listen, they will care.

 

 

Metrics: the beginning and end of your story

 

It is easier to connect with your audience when using data to reflect performance and impact. For one thing, data allows charities to test what content works best when communicating with their supporters, and on which channel.

 

But metrics can also provide the starting point for telling your story. How many people use your services, how many donations go into providing those services, how much do they cost per person –these statistics can demonstrate the value of fundraising and the depth of the problem you are trying to address. Translating such data into easy-to-understand snippets will clearly communicate your priorities and demonstrate your progress.

 

Take charity: water, for example. On their website, donors learn that 100% of donations go to programmes and that more than 11 million people have benefitted from clean, safe water in 28 countries. A number tally shows the number of water projects funded, how many partners they work with, and exactly how many people will get clean water as a result.

 

Data provides both the beginning of your narrative and can shape how you tell it. And the easiest way for charities to connect donors with their mission is to give them a good story.