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Building a Donor Journey for 2023, Ep #61

Ben Johnson
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Episode 61

With Benjamin Johnson and Becca Gust

For the last Frontier FM episode of 2022, Ben and Becca sit down to discuss everything that goes into building a successful donor journey. When and how should you thank your donors? What role do economic seasons play in annual planning? How important is showing impact and accountability to donors? Listen now to get answers from the experts!

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

  • Diving into annual planning and how economic seasons impact giving [1:51]

  • Knowing when and how to thank and engage with your donors [7:42]

  • Accounting for the overall donor journey [14:31]

  • Understanding the timeframes and logistics for asking and reporting [20:06]

  • Cool Tools to help with better task management [33:41]

Understand the seasons

A big part of annual planning and building a donor journey is understanding the economic seasons that impact your organization specifically. During economic (and literal) winters, poverty relief organizations like shelters and food banks often get the most funding because people can see and feel the need. An arts organization would have a much tougher ask during these seasons. However, economic summers inspire people to build toward the future and invest in things that will be around forever. This is a key time for higher education, philharmonic societies, museums, and the like to run their fundraising campaigns. Ben summed it up well for marketers when he said that if you’re not thinking about what people will be thinking and feeling when the campaign is happening, you’re making a crucial error.

Give thanks effectively

One of the most important aspects of the donor relationship is gratitude. Thanking your donors is an essential part of the donor journey because it helps to keep them on it. A common mistake charities make when thanking their donors is making their gratitude too donor-centric. Absolutely every dollar counts when funding a great cause like a recovery center, but the focus should be on the individuals taking steps to change their lives. The donor is a part of a community surrounding that person, and they should be thanked for it! But their $5 donation shouldn’t be given credit for someone else’s accomplishments. Timing is another piece of the thankfulness puzzle. As Ben alluded to, the best time to give someone flowers is when they least expect it. Thanking donors in the off-season is a great way to keep your organization top of mind and prime them for the fundraising ask down the road.

Stay accountable

An often overlooked part of the donor journey is accountability. Ben’s rule of thumb is this: If you're a charity, and you just took someone's money, whether you took everyone's money or just some people's money, what did you do with it? The best way for charities to stay accountable is to continually show the impact of the funds they receive. This isn't to say that all funds should be designated. Every charity loves undesignated funds! But you still need to show impact. Practically, this looks like charities using their newsletter to show donors how their money is being put to good use. Not only will it show existing donors that they're putting their money in the right place, but it shows even the people who didn't give that the money was well spent, thus building the conditions for a future donation ask. Listen to this episode for more insights on building the donor journey!

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