HomeYou have sent in proposals that came back positive and donors gladly gave towards your cause. After making the impact that you had foreshadowed, you wonder how you will keep that relationship going strong to do more.
The way you handle relationships with your partners and donors will determine whether other donors come on board and help you in other projects.
Here are simple ways that you can maintain relationships with your donors and partners:
Showing gratitude
One of the things that you should be absolutely intentional about is giving prompt thank you messages. When you receive a donation for your causes, send a personalized email, letter, card and many other things. Let them know that you received their generous donation and you will put it to the use that had been originally communicated.
Sometimes if you’re in the education sector you can send a handwritten letter or taped video of a disadvantaged student saying thanks for the difference made in their life. If possible, let the letter or the video contain the name of the specific donor.
Since the donor can attest to the fact that their funds are being used for the intended purpose, they will keep on investing their money into your causes. Secondly, when they see that their resources are causing an impact on the lives of disadvantaged people they’ll be motivated to do more.
Share success stories
In the procurement, supply and purchasing world this is called end-to-end follow-up. You need to show how the impact is affecting the target population. If it’s giving relief food to the hungry, take videos of the children that you have fed. If it’s helping young entrepreneurs with funds to boost their small businesses, you can document that.
Additionally, you can arrange trips for the donors to visit these areas and see the progress. People who are passionate about making a difference will be more than elated to visit these areas and see how their funds are changing lives and helping the less fortunate.
Take advantage of occasions and world events
When there are events such as World Water Day, Valentine’s day, Christmas and so many other events send personalized cards to the donors and show them how much you appreciate them. If you’re in the WASH (Water, Sanitisation and Health) you can tell your donors about how their contributions have made water accessible to dry areas of the country.
For example, this year Kenya has increased water access by more than 30%. Your generosity has contributed to this incredible milestone.
Give updates and timelines
Share the schedule of what you’re planning to do with your donors. Give them the timelines and expected time to complete the project. This keeps them up to speed and makes them feel included in the process. That way they’ll trust you in the future when you ask for additional funds.
When the projects are complete give them results and make them sound donor-centric. Let the reports reflect the results achieved in detail and make sure that the donor’s help made that possible.
Respond to questions and receive feedback
From time to time your donors will ask questions to seek clarification. For example, they might need to know why you need a particular figure and not a lower one like the last time they donated. Respond promptly and answer to satisfaction.
When they give their feedback, take it and act on it expeditiously. This makes them feel valued and like partners with you instead of mere contributors. Experienced communicators suggest that you should organize regular follow-ups with them. This can be done on platforms such as Google, zoom and many others.
Conclusion
Maintaining a donor might sound tedious and tasking but when you decide to do the work it’s not the case. It doesn’t take too many resources and effort to do the seemingly little things that matter. The results however will far exceed the expectations you had set for yourselves.
