Nonprofit Fundraising: Building Relationships

Any successful nonprofit organization will tell you that when it comes to fundraising, relationships are everything. You must build quality relationships with donors in order to be successful in fundraising, and you must nurture those relationships on an ongoing basis if you want to continue reaping the benefits.

If you have been in business for a long time, think of relationships with donors as relationships with repeat customers. A small business requires the support of repeat customers to survive, just like nonprofits require the support of regular donors. If you continue to build relationships with donors, your nonprofit will benefit enormously.

Think about all of the times that you have been asked to donate to a particular cause. If you are like 98% of all Americans, you reply, “no” much more often than you say, “yes”. However, once you have donated to a nonprofit, you are twice as likely to donate again. This is because Americans – and people in general – feel more comfortable giving money to a cause we know and trust. As a nonprofit organization, it is your responsibility to build that trust through relationships with donors.

Building relationships with donors might seem easy, but it can become complicated. You must have someone who is in charge of keeping track of donations so that relationships can be established. Once an individual has made a donation, his or her contact information should be plugged into a separate spreadsheet or file.

Once you have a list of the names of people who have donated in the past, reconnect with those people. Send thank-you notes to donors who have given money before or, even better, given them a call to express your appreciation. Don’t immediately hit them up for more money; simply let them know that you are thankful for their support.

Donors who have given money in the past should be contacted every six months to inquire about a new donation. It doesn’t have to be invasive or annoying; a simple call or note to request a donation will be sufficient.