In order to get more volunteers and keep them active in your school or non profit fundraising event you need to make them feel important. In order to keep corporate donors and long term donors interested in your cause you have to keep them interested by having giving relationships with them. No one will continue to give you effort if their efforts are soon forgotten.
Let us take a look at a few ideas to keep your volunteers and donors vibrant and plugged into your cause.
Their Contribution is Important
There are two reasons people contribute to your charitable organization; they have been affected by the cause or they have a relationship with the people involved at the charitable organization. The first reason you have little control over but by keeping people informed and made to feel that their contributions have changed lives makes them feel important.
You can add to their feeling of helping out by showing them what their contributions have changed. Stress the emotional aspect the next time you send out a newsletter. Interview one of the recipients of your money gifts. Show your donors how the money they donated has helped overcome hurdles and improved lives.
Your Donors understand that the issues are complicated and the battle will be long. What they do want to feel is that good work is being done and the money is being well spent.
Your Organizations Open Door Policy
Invite your prospects to your functions. When your charitable organization puts on its next annual meeting, lecture or workshop give your donors a call to let them know. If you can open these meetings as a public event and ask them to attend without directly asking for money will let them see how responsible you are with their money.
A Look Behind the Curtain
Take your donors on a tour of your facilities. Again this is another open door policy by being transparent in what you do. It also makes your donors feel like they are getting to peek behind the curtain. Show them they are so important to the success of this organization you are showing them backstage.
Ask for Their Input
Ask them for advice on a certain topic. Take them aside and ask them for help in a certain area that they would specialize in. Many people would feel that they could lend a hand to your organization. This would be a great idea to transition people from donors to volunteers. The number one reason people don’t volunteer more is that they simply aren’t asked.
Long term relationships will help keep both volunteers and donors feeling happy being associated with your non-profit organization.
There are many ways to express your gratitude. This is not the same as manipulation. It’s a way to build a strong team by letting everyone know that what they bring makes a difference.
Birds of a Feather
Ask your corporate donors to network for you. Through business circles of their own donors may be able to lead you to other high-powered contacts.
Catch Them Doing Something Right
Nothing makes a person feel more valued than their efforts are being appreciated. Let your volunteers who have contributed to the organization feel valued with compliments. It’s a simple thing that is too rarely done but carries a lot of weight. The same principal that works for kids works for adults. Catch them doing something right and mention how they handled it well.
Give Volunteers a Feeling of Promotion
For your volunteers who have been with you for awhile reward them with a promotion. Maybe this is a chance to give them a fundraiser to run themselves, or a meeting that they chair. This could be a chance to listen to one of their pet projects. Find something that your donor is passionate about with your organization and help them get there. Make it clear that through their commitment and hard work you want them to take a step up.
Structure a Healthy Teamwork Atmosphere in your Organization
While your charitable organization works on getting your fundraising and advertising in line you will be planning your next step. The atmosphere should be cooperative and not combatitive. According to Chic Hospitality Consulting Services who specialize in people management,” Managers who encourage employees to use initiative and set higher challenges for themselves achieve more positive results than those who cause employees to compete with each other. Personal accomplishment at the expense of others defeats teamwork and negatively affects service to customers. Managers can win over employees’ loyalty and best input by treating them as “partners”, showing care, listening to them and sharing.”
With simple acknowledgement of efforts put in by your donors and volunteers you can strengthen internal and external relationships. The goal here is to keep the workers and supporters of your charitable organization around for a very long time.