From A Prospect To A Donor: The Journey Of Donation

by Daniel M. writter

Learn how to convert your potential supporter to a confirmed donor; know how to proceed, the critical steps, and how to keep your supporter happy.

The urge to feel connected with others is common to all of us. Interactions (with others) give you joy and happiness, as well as learning.

More interactions lead to knowing about attitude similarities, and finally, shared values lead to a strong bonding of friendship. The journey, from an acquaintance to friendship, is complete.

Shared values are essential in professional and social life to create a group of supporters/friends/ like-minded people.

A member of a nonprofit organisation is on the job always to get more donors/supporters so that their (the nonprofit) mission is accomplished. Sharing of common values, believing in common objectives are the pillars of a strong association.

Fundraising activities have grown manifold in the recent past, and today, several nonprofits are trying to get committed donors and sponsors for their projects. The donation journey continues.

What is a donation journey?

A donation journey takes the potential supporters of a nonprofit from being a prospect to a donor and an advocate of the cause and the mission (of the nonprofit).

The world has witnessed religious and educational donations from ancient times in several countries around the globe. The two world wars have seen much human suffering, but, at the same time, some people felt an urge to act for the needy. Large amounts of fundraising happened, benefiting society in general.

Today, periodic natural disasters, economic disparity, medical needs keep the requirement of social funds alive.

Philanthropy is still in practice, and it is a matter of pride that in every society, a section of the people is committed to the cause of giving. Besides, the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative of business houses has also expanded the fundraising hopes.

The necessity of a journey

Mapping the donation journey is necessary for a nonprofit; it strengthens the connection with its supporters. Close contact facilitates better sharing of the ideals and leads to more donors and sponsors' giving.

Keeping the donors/sponsors loyal and converting a prospect to a donor are the two most critical tasks in the donation journey.

A nonprofit needs periodic contributions from its community of donors for carrying on with its activities. But where does the journey begin?

Visual interactions initiate the journey. The prospective donor may see a nonprofit's television ad; it could be an invitation to a fundraising event, social media, or even a chance encounter with you as the nonprofit's representative.

The experience of the prospect in these key contact moments plays a vital role in the donation journey. These pivotal moments, also known as touchpoints, are crucial for the nonprofit - these are opportunities to capitalise on building a healthy relationship. How you communicate in these key moments is critical in initiating and sustaining the prospect's interest.

Steps in the donation journey

Awareness

Merely making a potential donor aware of your mission is not enough. It would be best to connect with them emotionally with personal and meaningful stories, narratives on your work, and future vision.

Once the donors identify with you and your mission, they are inspired members of your work and feel morally obliged to help.

Maintaining an emotional connection leads to better personal rapport, and many good things begin to happen.

The bottom line is to treat your prospective donors as family members of your nonprofit and make them feel comfortable.

Engagement

Engaging with your prospect is the next major step in the donation journey. It would help if you tracked all data touchpoints closely.

· Offline media ad

· An event for the community

· Social media

· Website content

· Email marketing.

· Data for analysis

· Visitor profile of your website and what attracted them.

Lessons from successful nonprofits reveal critical actions for handling donors successfully-

a) Responding to all the comments on social media against your post, replying to emails, responding to phone calls,

b) Inviting your prospective donors to participate in your organisation’s programs,

c) Having face-to-face meetings.

The right donor engagement means building an actual, live relationship with both sides being equal partners.

Asking for a donation

The crucial step in the donation journey!

Most importantly, it is testing time for all your background activities, from prospect research to engaging with potential donors and your marketing skills.

Your successful homework will help you identify how much to ask from whom - what you may get from an ordinary office worker is very much different from the capacity to donate by a leading real-estate business owner.

The best results are seen when people are bold and direct with the expected sum of money. You must include clearly in your pitch what the money will do to change lives or benefit society.

Acknowledging Help

Once the donation is received, the top-most priority is to thank the donor. You can utilise the opportunity by being creative with your message.

Wherever possible, it is better to establish direct contact. For the aged donors, a personal phone call may do wonders. When raising funds for a significant cause, the local donors may be invited to an appreciation event –it may well turn out to be the first step for your organisation's next donation journey!

Besides thanking, showing the impact (of the donation) is necessary. You have to tell your donors what their contribution did, how it helped the cause, and who it benefited directly. Adding along how vital and necessary was the amount then.

Takeaways from the journey

Nonprofits and other fundraisers must realise that there is no precise formula or process to ensure a donation journey's success.
Several issues are involved in the process, and the significant ones among them are communication, research, marketing, and human relations.
The use of empathy has the most powerful influence in building a relationship between the nonprofit and the donor.
Digital research tools make the process of identifying and categorising your potential donors easy.

Finally, as a nonprofit, you have to perform the finishing act to manage the last step of the donation journey-donor retention; and flag-off the next journey.

Wish to know more about the donation journey? Or, want to start a fundraiser? Get in touch with Ketto – helping people always to better healthcare and happiness.