Charity

Cancelled

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My experience cancelling a regular gift – part II

On 2 January, I wrote about my experience cancelling a regular gift with a variety of Australian charities.

My experiences cancelling my recurring donations mixed. Given the timeframe was in the middle of the holiday season, I indicated some charities were closed for the holiday break. Today’s blog post is an update on the remaining charities who had not responded.

A mixed bag

I cancelled six of my recurring donations in total. Three of the six organisations responded to me during the holiday break. Of the three who had not responded to me due to the holiday closure, the following occurred:

  • One organisation responded by telling me they had actioned my request. Their email read: Per your request, we have cancelled your recurring donation. Thank you for your support.
    • This same organisation has not communicated with me over the course of the past three years I was a regular donor.
  • Another organisation asked, via email, if there was any way for them to retain me as a supporter, including offering to lower my monthly donation amount or to put the donation on hold.
  • The final responding organisation contacted me by phone. This organisation, likewise, stressed the value of my regular donation and sought to retain me by lowering the donation amount or placing the donation on hold for “up to six months”.

Coverage over holiday timeframe

It should be said that very few non-profit organisations have coverage over the holiday break from about 20 Dec to 6 January. Most organisations shut down during this timeframe and require staff to take paid time off. This is the polar opposite of places like the United States where there may be skeleton staff on during this timeframe, but someone is always available to take donor calls, answer email, and to process donations. In fact, in the US, 31 December is tax time. This adds even more importance to having staff available for these purposes and to accept gifts of securities, major gifts, and other valuable donations.

What is your process for handling recurring gift cancellations? Did your organisation have coverage over the holiday timeframe (even limited)?

Salutation

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An Addressee and Salutation are a basic piece of data

December is a busy time for multi-channel Christmas appeals. My letterbox and email box, like yours, were filled with asks from various Australian charitable organisations. This year I was struck by the number of charities who got the manner they addressed me simply wrong. An Addressee and Salutation are a basic piece of CRM function. A basic piece of data which, if done incorrectly, can really turn off a donor.

Flawed Salutations

This year I received pieces of mail and electronic direct marketing (eDM) pieces from dozens of Australian universities, schools, and charitable organisations with the following types of flawed salutations:

• Dear Friend

• Dear Mr Stephen M Mally

• Dear StephenMally

• Dear Mally

• Dear Mr S Mally

• Dear <Blank>

One Australian university advancement office sent me an eDM on Wednesday, 18 December reading “Dear :”. Clearly someone called the error to their attention because a second copy of the eDM was sent 5 hours later reading “Dear Stephen:”. There was no notation as to why I received the duplicate copy except the obvious correction to the flawed eDM sent earlier that morning. If someone did not check their emails with frequency they would have seen the two emails back to back and thought they were duplicates.

Simply put, a salutation demonstrates the way you know your donor. Dear <Title> <First Name> <Middle Initial> <Surname> states you not only do not know me whatsoever, but sends this donor the message you do not care to know me any longer. Variations of such sloppiness which include Dear <First NameSurname> without a space in between the <First Name> or <Surname>, Dear <Surname> or Dear <Title> <Middle Initial> <Surname> show donors you either lack the ability to manage your constituent relationship management (CRM) solution or, perhaps, your mail house is making errors in assembling your packs. Either way, these are the sorts of issues which cost you in your fundraising and response rates.

4 Steps to Better Greetings

It’s time every organisation holds people accountable for the condition of the data in your CRM and in the way we manage each and every record. Here are steps you can take to address how you greet your donors on an individual basis:

1. Run a report of all donor records in your CRM to diagnose the magnitude of the issue by searching for the examples I have named above.

2. Globally replace “Friend” with <First Name> or <Title> <Surname> depending on whether your organisation has a policy of informal or formal greetings. 

  • Perhaps you are lucky enough to own a CRM which is robust enough to accommodate both options.

3. Next, identify the records containing the other errors in the examples above, fixing them on a global basis and, where required, manually.

  • No record should lack a salutation.
  • Donors give their name when they make a contribution. Donors deserve to be greeted formally or informally.
  • No record should suggest your data management is “sloppy”, such as Dear <Surname> or Dear <First NameSurname>.

4. Train staff to make it a habit to establish records correctly and, thereafter, to edit and enhance every record when in possession of the record.

Make the New Year an opportunity to turn over a new leaf in CRM and data management and in supporter care. Start with the greetings you hold in your CRM for your supporters. What steps are you taking to ensure you do not turn off your donors because of a flawed salutation?

Action

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What will you do differently in the year 2020?

It’s the first official day back at work after the long Christmas and New Year holidays. It is a time of renewal, of refresh, and of reset. I hope your batteries are recharged and you have a boost in energy to welcome what will greet you when you set at your desk for the first time since the last decade! What are your plans for the new year? What will you do differently so the year 2020 looks very different than the year 2019?

Many of us set out to turn over new leaves, to try new strategies, or to work harder at approaches we have in place. Perhaps we will try to tackle things gathering mould on our to do lists. Maybe we will be guided by a new strategic plan. Whatever it is that will motivate us as we come back fresh from 2+ weeks off of work, do not lose site of the simple things that make a big difference in the workplace and in fundraising.

6 small actions which will make a drastic impact in Q1 2020

  • Speak to every staff person at least one time per week.
    • Are there people in the workplace who you typically do not acknowledge? Acknowledge them.
    • Are there people who you do not “socialise” with in the office? Ask them to have a coffee or a quick lunch.
      • You’d be surprised what you will learn about these people and the synergy and alliances you may develop through simple outreach.
      • Make plans to follow up in about a month or six weeks. Managers – this is a task for you, too. Often times managers or leaders do not “socialise” with various people at varying levels throughout the organisation. 
  • Call or send personal thank you notes to five donors per week.
    • These are the easiest forms of contact, yet they are often the most overlooked.
    • How about writing each donor on the anniversary of their recurring donation? Remind them of the value of their contribution.
    • Don’t merely focus on the $500 or $10,000 supporters. How about calling the $25 donor to tell them you are pleased they are on board and remind them of the value of all levels of support.
      • Document this outreach in your CRM.
  • Call donors who participated in your supporter survey to thank them for voicing their opinion and to discuss one or two items which they expressed on their survey response.
    • Hear more from them on these calls, express your gratitude for their opinions.
      • Document this outreach in your CRM.
  • Call or send personal thank you notes to five volunteers per month.
    • These, too, are the easiest forms of contact. Likewise, they are often the most overlooked.
    • Volunteers are not on your payroll. You are. Remind them of the tremendous value their time and support of the organisations brings to the charity.
      • Document this outreach in your CRM.
  • Clean up your desk at the end of each business day.
    • Organise a small stack of things you intend to accomplish the following business day.
      • You’d be surprised the level of motivation a clean desk will bring you.
      • You will also be surprised how much time it will save you to have your day organised prior to arriving at the office.
  • Delegate the tasks you cannot accomplish.
    • Ask your colleagues to lend a hand.
      • Be ready to lend your colleagues a hand when they are in a similar situation.

2020 is the commencement of a new decade. Each one of us has an opportunity to do things which will change the landscape of non-profit organisations and of fundraising. Change the things close to home. Add six more items to the suggested list I have offered above. Let’s check in with one another to see where we are when we welcome the year 2021.

Recurring Donations

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My experience cancelling some recurring donations

I cancelled some recurring donations just prior to New Year’s evening. I decided I had given to these nonprofit organisations for several years. Some of them I had not heard from in many months and one I had not heard from except when they wanted more money. I thought I would share my experience cancelling some recurring donations.

Varied Experience

My experience cancelling the recurring donations varied organisation to organisation. First, I was impressed some of the organisations had staff responding to emails the week of 30 December. I know from working in the industry that most Australian nonprofit organisations are closed the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s. Of the six recurring gifts I chose to cancel, I heard back from three charities. The other organisations responded with an automated out of office message that I would hear from someone the week of 6 January.

Here are other findings:

  • One organisation responded by telling me they had actioned my request. Thank you for your email. I have cancelled your donation to <name of organisation>. Kind regards, <Name of person>.
    • This same organisation has not communicated with me over the course of the past two years.
  • Another organisation responded by stating they have instructed their team to cancel my recurring donation. The staff person suggested I should reach out to him if I wished to discuss my donation.
  • The final responding organisation asked to speak with me. Her email stated the need for recurring support to find their critical programs and she was very kind to offer to change the interval of the donation or to change the dollar amount.
    • Later in the day, the staff person placed a call to me, which I was unable to take because I was in the USA at the time. Clearly this organisation does not want to lose me as a regular donor.

The variance just amongst these three responding organisations is interesting. I will be anxious to see how the other organisations respond after 6 January.

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Does age define who gets solicited by nonprofit street canvassers?

On any given day, Australian non-profits blanket the streets and parks of capital cities to solicit regular gifts from passersby. I never get stopped by those soliciting for health, environmental, international aid, and other types of charities. Does age define who gets solicited by nonprofit street canvassers or face to face fundraisers?

Street canvassers are typically very young adults, approximately 18-25 years old. Dressed in t-shirts branded with the charity name, they often struggle to get people to stop to have a conversation with them. Some people do anything they can to not engage with the canvassers. I try to have eye contact with the canvassers and do everything possible to see if they will engage with me. Instead, the canvassers look down and wait for their next prospect!

Is it my age? At 55 years old, have I “aged out” of the target audience for canvassers’ interest?

People aged from 40-65 years old likely have stable income to offer Australian non-profit organisations. Yet, I see the street canvassers stop people in their own age bracket and let those 40-65 pass them. I suspect those in their own age bracket have far less disposable income and, perhaps, less capability and likelihood to give a donation on a credit card on a monthly basis. If the young passersby are likely to stop, have a conversation with their peer, and agree to a monthly donation, they may have buyer’s remorse and cancel the donation at a higher rate than older adults with a more stable financial background.

Are street canvassers more comfortable talking to people there own age? Do they have a higher success rate signing on people their own age than someone older? Is the retention rate the same for both age groups?

Have any fundraising firms or nonprofit organisations studied this matter? Do you have thoughts about target audiences for street canvassing?

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#GivingTuesday, Australia

It’s the Tuesday following US Thanksgiving, Blackbaud Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday. That means it’s #GivingTuesday, Australia.

What are you planning to do for #GivingTuesday? Have you had plans in place to execute for many months? Or, have you planned nothing at all?

#GivingTuesday is a unique opportunity for charities, suppliers, and donors to come together to boost charitable giving in one day and to do so world-wide. You can do as little or as much effort as you live. The beautiful part is the day falls smack in the middle of our Christmas appeal season in Australia. So, why not test the waters to see if it makes a difference for your non-profit organisation.

How can you charities, suppliers, and donors come together and get involved?

#GivingTuesday – Charities

  • Create a day-long social media campaign to promote giving to your Christmas or year-end appeal. Push donations online.
  • Conduct a one-day calling program to acquire new donors, renew past supporters, and upgrade those who are regular donors.
  • Get an army of volunteers to join you by calling to thank donors who have already supported your Christmas or end of year appeal.

#GivingTuesday – Suppliers

  • Give to your non-profit customers Christmas or end of year appeals.
  • Volunteer for the day at a local homeless shelter or other charitable organisation.
  • Give 10% back on all invoices for the month f December.

#GivingTuesday – Donors

  • Volunteer for a charity today or this evening – something you have been meaning to do for a long time.
  • Sign up to be a regular volunteer at the charity of your choice.
  • Become a regular donor to a charity of your choice.
  • Gather all the loose change you have and drop it off at a charity in your neighbourhood.
  • Clean out a closet and drop the clothes at Vinnies or Salvation Army so they may be sold to another loving home.

You see, #GivingTuesday does not need to be well planned and executed. Although, it helps increase your results if you do plan the activities and steps! #GivingTuesday can be the smallest acts of kindness or a large-scale campaign. #GivingTuesday is what you make it.

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Putting a proper team in place for a non-profit CRM implementation

You conducted a Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) search, picked the best CRM platform and a terrific CRM supplier. You think your work is done? Often times a non-profit organisation will believe the bulk of the work for a CRM implementation falls on the implementation partner or the supplier? Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is the work is a shared responsibility and it is important for a charitable organisation to understand the need to put a proper team in place for a non-profit CRM implementation.

Organisation Structure

Organisation Chart

Building the right non-profit CRM implementation team takes time and a lot of thought. You will want to put the following organisation structure together when creating the implementation team:

  • Steering Committee
  • Project Sponsor
  • Project Manager
  • Project Team
  • Implementation Partner (Supplier)
  • Subject Matter Experts
  • End Users

Roles

The non-profit CRM implementation roles are defined as:

  • Project Steering Committee– A Project Steering Committee is a committee that decides on the priorities or order of business of a project and manages the general course of its operations. Sometimes the Implementation Partner will sit on the Project Steering Committee, offering the chance for the Steering Committee to have internal and external Steering Committee meetings including this person or excluding this person. The Project Steering Committee will meet one time per month. The Project Sponsor leads the Project Steering Committee. (4-5 members).
  • Project Sponsor – The Project Sponsor is the individual (often a manager or executive) with overall accountability for the project. The Project Sponsor is primarily concerned with ensuring that the project delivers the agreed business benefits. (1 person).
  • Project Manager– A Project Manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers have the responsibility of the planning, procurement and execution of a project, in an undertaking which has a defined scope, defined start and a defined finish. The Project Manager will be engaged for the duration of the project. The Project Manager reports to the Project Sponsor and to the Project Steering Committee. The Project Manager often times has a Project Manager counterpart at the Implementation Partner (Supplier). (1 person).
  • Project Team– A Project Team is a team whose members usually belong to different groups, functions and are assigned to activities for the same project. A team can be divided into sub-teams according to need. Usually project teams are only used for a defined period of time. A project team may include people representing cross organisation portfolios or departments. The Project team will meet weekly. (6 persons).
  • Implementation Partner (Supplier) – The Implementation Partner will be the partner chosen amongst the suppliers who will implement the chosen CRM platform and meet the business requirements and objectives of the organisation and the project. The Implementation Partner will be engaged for the duration of the project. (1 supplier).
  • Subject Matter Experts– A Subject-Matter Expert (SME) or domain expert is a person who is an authority in a particular area or topic. The term domain expert is frequently used in expert systems software development, and there the term always refers to the domain other than the software domain. The SMEs will be engaged for the duration of the project, but will be called on only as needed. There will be peak times when the SME is engaged more frequently. (1 person per portfolio or department).
  • End Users– An End User is a person who will utilise the product developed or configured by the parties involved in a project. There will be many end users and various end users who are consumers of the outcome of this project. Each End User audience will be important to those involved. (There will be many, many users/stakeholders in the project).

Recruitment

When recruiting for these non-profit CRM implementation roles, it is important to determine the following:

  • Time and Effort Required – The only person committed to this project for a set number of hours per week for the duration of the project is the Project Manager. However, everyone will have demands on their time and have to put in a certain amount of effort in order to ensure project success.
  • Scheduling – Examine potential conflicts across the project. A schedule of conflicts, including projects and holidays should be developed. Use this as a template.
  • Fit – Consider the right fit for each role. Ensure everyone is of the right mindset and has a collaborative personality.

The success of a non-profit CRM implementation project is dependant on the infrastructure you put in place at the outset. Don’t skimp on the planning stage of a project. Ensure you have the right teams with the right people in the right roles in place.

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Customer Service – what does it mean to non-profit organisations?

Customer service failures are easily identifiable. Think about a time when you became agitated with a company you were dealing with as a consumer. Was it an airline, an online store, a retailer, a hotel, or a restaurant? What got your blood pressure up? How could this customer service experience have been prevented?

You and I do not put up with poor customer service as consumers. If we receive poor customer service, we likely complain directly to the supplier via letter, email, phone, or, even, Twitter and other more public channels. In the NFP sector, why would donors put up with a charity and why would non-profits put up with suppliers who are not on top of their customer service game?

I had a conversation yesterday with a customer about what it means for a supplier to deliver good customer service to the NFP sector. We talked about the great customer service NFP suppliers deliver pre-sales; however, once the purchased is signed, the solid customer service goes out the window. We talked about companies who serve our sector and how little customer service is delivered, especially on a pro-active basis. We also talked about the fact that often smaller suppliers deliver far more superior customer service than the larger suppliers.

Customer Service Action Items

What must each of us do to ensure those things do not occur in our organisation or business?

Good customer service begins at home. Your team – whether in a charity or supplier to NFPs – need to consider their work colleagues to be their customers. We need to be responsive of one another in meetings, email, and other forums. A positive atmosphere is infectious, as is a poisonous atmosphere.

When customer service is delivered to one another, it spreads to our external customers – donors or charities.

Turnaround time. We should expect to hear back from one another within a business day when there is not a holiday or sick leave situation. When a day’s turnaround time is not possible, set expectations with the “customer”. Be clear about length of time and, perhaps, reasons why it may take you a bit longer. Keep the consumer informed about your progress.

Gift entry/acknowledgement. Charities should be responsive to donors when a contribution is received. How does your organisation measure up? You don’t know? You should. Processing a gift and returning a receipt/acknowledgement within 48 hours is critical. I have said it before. You and I cannot control the amount of time it takes Australia Post to get the donation to the charity. Likewise, we cannot control the amount of time it takes Post to get the thank you letter to the donor. Therefore, we must control the length of time the gift is in our custody.

Processing time must be measured, goals set, and KPIs monitored.

Friendly, upbeat greetings. Whoever is on the telephone or greets visitors to your organisation needs to be friendly and upbeat at all times and no matter the distractions. Remember the old saying that you do not get a second chance to make a first impression? Use that rule at the reception desk.

Do Not. As a member of a team, you cannot blame others for not being able to respond in a reasonable time frame. Additionally, do not tell people you are “flat out” and cannot complete their task. Doing so makes it seem like you believe they, too, are not busy. We are all busy. And, doing so also diminishes the importance of their task!

Absence won’t make the heart grow fonder. Be sure to have constant coverage and even during holiday and sick periods. Do not assume your donors or customers will understand and will simply wait for their key contact to return. Set out of office messages on the phone and email systems.

Be proactive. Reach out to your donors in between asks. Check in with your donors just to see how they are doing. Suppliers should do the same. Suppliers should reach out to NFPs to share ideas, discuss how other customers have overcome a challenge.

The hard stuff. Having difficulty accomplishing the hard stuff should not prevent us from delivering good customer service and it should not prevent us from accomplishing the day-to-day, more routine, items. If a donor or a customer, in the case of a suppler, asks something that cannot quickly be answered or, perhaps will require a bit of research, set clear expectations about the timeline it might take to get an answer.

Under promise and over deliver.

Good customer service levels do not have to be difficult to achieve. Start at home; repeat it to your external audiences; set metrics for turnaround time; ensure friendly and upbeat atmosphere at the point of reception; do not blame others and do not use the “flat out” excuse; fill gaps in staffing during holiday and sick periods; and don’t let the hard stuff get in the way of the more routine items.

Following these simple tasks will let you, as a non-profit or a supplier in our space, shine throughout the year.

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It’s not too late for non-profits to conduct data hygiene

DataEarlier this week, I wrote a blog post about the first Christmas Appeal received this year. It’s the only one received so far, which suggests others may still be navigating the many tasks they need to complete in order to drop their Christmas Appeal. As part of those tasks, it’s not too late for non-profits to conduct data hygiene!

Assuming some charitable organisations are behind with their Christmas appeal, perhaps the reason is data hygiene. One of the single most important steps prior to the Christmas appeal drop is the need to complete hygiene.

Some non-profit organisations take the important step to cleanse their data, while others do not. Those non-profit organisations who perform data hygiene, perform this task at least one time per year.

Data cleansing includes, but is not limited to, high level activities such as:

  • National Change of Address (NCOA).
  • De-duplication of constituent records.
  • Data enrichment, including:
    • Deceasing of records
    • Do not mail flag.
    • Do not call flag.
  • Other important mass data management practices.

As suggested in prior FundraisingForce blog posts, dirty data gets you nowhere…except broke. Proper data cleaning prior to dropping the all-important tax and Christmas appeals is not optional. Do you put this in the “too hard” basket? Hire an expert like FundraisingForce who will guide you through the process, management of suppliers, and develop a process for you to follow for years to come.

Don’t assume someone else will do this task – whether you are assuming the mail house does it or someone else on your internal team. Develop a process to get this task done and to ensure the cleansed data makes it was back to your organisations CRM. To merely cleanse the file for the appeal and to not load the clean data back to the CRM (a common mistake made by charitable organisations) is like cleaning your child and putting them back on the playground.

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The first charity Christmas appeal received from….

It’s something I report on each year via the FundraisingForce blog. The first charity Christmas appeal was received from…The Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army has been the first for the past several years.

I’ve talked about the need for a charitable organisation to stand out in the letterbox in several past FundraisingForce blog posts. It’s really the key to successful direct mail. Your piece has to stand out amongst all the postal mail one receives. If the letter does not get opened, it is not going to get a response.

Salvation Army stood out in my letterbox because it arrived in early October and it was the first charitable organisation to send me their Christmas appeal! The organisation also stood out amongst my other mail because of the the art on the package.

As in the past, the appeal is a Christmas Wish catalogue, which is full of items I can purchase to change the lives of those Salvation Army supports. Once purchased, I will receive a gift card and envelope to give to a person on my list to share the joy of giving. A simple concept and something that stood out in my letterbox the beginning of October.

Many charitable organisations likely do not have their segmented direct marketing lists prepared and sent to their mailing house. Some may still be working on the letter copy, package content, and various approvals that go with the task. Where is your non-profit organisation in the process? Is the data pull and the segmentation all a little too hard in your CRM? It does not have to be. Hire experts like FundraisingForce to properly segment your data and to create that segmentation inside your CRM. Once set up, this segmentation may be tweaked and pulled for appeals in the future.

Don’t delay setting up your segmentation for your Christmas appeal because it is too difficult, too time consuming, or something you do not have knowledge to do. Let’s get the data ready so you can get the appeal in the mail and then you’ll be able to focus your time on other tasks – like assisting in the processing of the donations and the receipts!

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