When you Google anything about relationships, one of the top indicators of a healthy relationship is good, open communication. Whether your relationship is in the context of a friendship, family, work place – or even a donor/development officer relationship – communication is KEY! I tell that to my clients all the time.
Success in fundraising will not happen over night. Your donors are not ATMs. They are real people on the other end of the phone and they have real things going on in their lives. You are developing relationships – and that can take time. But don’t fret about it! Get excited because that’s where communication comes in! And that, my friends, is a WHOLE lot of fun!
This newsletter from The Newman Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a GREAT example of an organization communicating with their donors using storytelling. It is what we in the fundraising world like to call, “donor cultivation.” (see PDF below for full newsletter)
Their team provided the copy and, thanks to the amazing expertise of the newest member of the Mary Catherine Marketing team, Dave Marks, our team did the layout and design. It has compelling imagery, inspiring stories, and even an Estate Plan benefit for the readers from Freewill.com – all as a means to keep their donor audience informed, engaged, and inspired seeing the work that their contributions are making possible.
Take a look at it and get inspired yourself! But don’t worry – if you are a team of 1 and this length stresses you out, newsletters don’t always have to be this long. Even just a 2-4 page newsletter sent out a couple times a year will do the trick. Make sure it looks professional (Canva.com can help a lot with this!), it has at least a handful of beautiful pictures, some firsthand stories to share, and you are good to go!
Still maybe a little unsure? Never hesitate to reach out! My team is always here to help. Because the only thing we love more than communication and incredible design – is doing it for a meaningful cause, like yours!