Sometimes it is hard to not do something…but when it comes to Give Big, you might want to consider at least doing it a little less.
Every year, during Give Big (and Giving Tuesday), we hear from donors about their frustrations with these campaigns. They are inundated with emails, postcards, posts, etc., starting way ahead of the day (in one month, in one week, etc.) and then the day of they feel like it can be almost hourly requests.
As most of the donors we work with are deep into relationship giving, not transactional, these type of requests wear them down and can alienate them. They express the desire to invest in an organization because of the work being done, the impact in community, not because it is some arbitrary day on the calendar. And, many of them, already angry at the poor thank you/acknowledgement process (more on that on a future post), do not wish to be one of hundreds.
Furthermore, things out of your control that create a negative experience reflect back on you whether or not it is valid. For example, we have heard complaints about the platform and navigating it and the unequitable matching gift scenarios.
While not true universally, we hear from nonprofit organizations that it is their usual donors who give and they really aren’t finding new donors with whom they can build a relationship. And, for many organizations, the costs associated with the program further reduce the ROI.
So, what to do? Donors will give to you without all of the fanfare if they want to between April 28-May 5. There is no need to inundate them with communications. Your twenty emails will not convince them to give. So, go ahead and make sure your name is listed among the 1,400+ organizations, but give the donor peace and space.
But, don’t take our word for it – ask your donors! Tell them what you are thinking of doing and find out how they felt about Big Give. It is a great way to engage and build relationships and hear first-hand what they are feeling.