Here is a fact that should both horrify and inspire us.
According to a slew of research studies in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, most donors stop giving to charity because of dissatisfaction with how they were treated by the charity rather than personal constraints like financial problems.
What did that poor service entail? Too much mail, no thank-you acknowledgements, and precious little information on how their money was spent.
This would be depressing except it's so darn easy to fix. The more we improve in our customer service, the more we will stand out, because great customer service is an incredibly rare thing in this world. You'll certainly relate to this fact acutely after dealing with a busy airline or taking a trip to the DMV.
Before you get mad at anybody else, perhaps you should look to how you deal with other people. Ask yourself, how polite is your nonprofit? Forget social media, fancy messages and everything else until you are:
- Asking your donors how and how often they want to hear from you, then honoring their preferences.
- Thanking your donors nicely - and often.
- Telling your donors the difference they made and showing the specific and tangible results that were achieved from their donations.
We absolutely must do better. With so much on the line, it shouldn't be hard to focus on these small details and to deal with your donors the way you would want to be dealt with.
