5 Ways to Get Personal and Get Relevant
Don’t be shy! Getting personal in your fundraising communications is key to strong relationships with prospects and supporters.
Here’s how to do it, with techniques that are doable for you no matter what’s on your to-do list. A small effort here (and that’s all it takes) makes a huge difference.
Personal is a two-way street
Most nonprofit fundraisers I know consider getting personal as a one-way street. Your organization learns all it can about the folks you want to get to act — donate, attend an event, leave a bequest — and uses those insights to:
- Personalize communications to bond by integrating the first names of your community members in salutations, subject lines and the like.
- Customize communications to increase relevance by segmenting your list (breaking out members by special interest, wants, previous actions, location or any other combination of selections) and using this understanding to deliver content with focus, frequency and tone that fits best with each segment’s profile.
Take it one step further
It’s been proved time and time again that sharing some of oneself speeds relationship building.
Think of a recent conversation you had, personal or professional. When you share something of yourself — an experience related to the topic of conversation or that of a friend or family member — that strengthens your growing bond. Your conversational partner understands you a bit better, feels special that you shared something personal and is much more likely to do the same. That’s how relationships deepen.
Here are some easy ways to put personal to work in your communications:
1. Include your name (or your organization’s spokesperson’s name) in your e-mail “from line” when you send bulk e-mails from your organization. It’s a must for bulk advocacy and fundraising e-mails, and recommended strongly for e-newsletters.
