Raise Your Voice Page 9

  Ask people to do more, and they will. Understand what inspires and motivates them, and you will be astounded at how much more they will do when it is meaningful to them. You just have to ask.

  MEASURING SOCIAL MEDIA

  At some point, the idea of being social returns to social media, which are actually digital social networks. A board member, CEO, or president will ask “How do we measure our social media engagement,” or “How do we know this is worthwhile?”

  Look for thoughtful resources and perspectives on social media for nonprofits at causemanifesto.com.

  Many articles and papers have been written about measuring the ROI and ROE of social media. The idea of socially sharing one’s life and interests is not going away. Individuals – especially the millennial generation – love to share what’s meaningful and important in their lives. Judging from the number of food and clothing photos one sees, it’s the day to day that is meaningful as well. Perhaps there’s a lesson to be learned in that observation.

  Think of ROI as the Return on Influence of social media. Think of ROE as the Return on Engagement. ROE and ROI are closely related: What is the best way to measure your engagement with advocates and your influence on them? How can you measure their influence on and engagement with your organization?

  Of course, if you’re skeptical, you’re not going to be convinced that your social media influence is measurable or worthwhile. You’ll only see how effective it can be as a supplement to your communication strategy once you try it. Search online and you’ll find a wealth of resources about ROI and ROE in social media.

  Engagement is how you measure the level of interaction you’re having with your audience. Influence is the measure of the reach those interactions have.

  For example: You may be reading this book as a result of a referral, social media post, or tweet. (Of course, I am deeply flattered if you are reading it!) If you’ve read this far, you’re obviously engaged in the book. If you do nothing but read it, it’s neither possible to measure the book’s influence, nor can I measure its engagement in social media. If you share it with your followers, then I can measure the influence of the book, as well as my engagement with you and your followers, especially if you share thoughts using the suggested hash tags. (Have you noticed the “key insights” at the end of every principle chapter?)

  Engagement Is Interaction; Interaction Is Conversation

  Engagement is an indicator of how well you are interacting with your audience. In social media measurement analytics, you’ll be able to see exactly what posts were shared, interacted with, or noted as a “favorite.” Measuring your engagement in some manner is a key indicator of how well you’re both listening to and conversing with your audience. The interaction with your audience builds relationships, affinity, and loyalty – which leads to influence.

  Influence Is Interest; Interest Leads to Action

  Is your audience interested? Influence is indicated by the growth of your followers across social media platforms, and by your audience’s level of interest in what you’re sharing. Simply put, influence is measured by the number of followers you have, how they share your posts, and the extent to which they share your content.

  It’s a virtuous cycle; engagement and influence work together as in a face-to-face relationship. As you express interest in your audience, they respond and express interest in you, and relationships continue to be built.

  KEY INSIGHTS

  All media is social media. What is social can be shared, in conversation, online and in print. Measure what you can. Action reveals thought and words reflect the heart. What we believe, and what motivates and inspires us, is eventually revealed through words and actions.

  TWEET IT

  As ambassadors, we recognize that every interaction is an opportunity to build relationships. #beSocial #causemanifesto

  Part Two: Chapter Eight

  BUSINESS AS USUAL

  I’ve attended different local churches all of my life. My wife and I recently started attending a church minutes from our home. To our surprise, we received a personal thank you from this church for a donation we made in addition to our regular giving. The regular practice for a church is to send a year-end letter acknowledging financial donations. Most likely, the letter is generated as a form letter, personalized (but not personal), and sent in a #10 envelope.

  My wife and I consider ourselves to be generous people. We support meaningful causes. We think of money as a means to bless others. We volunteer and hold leadership positions where we serve. We think of our time and talents as more valuable than money. We’ve received personal thank you notes from other organizations after we made a donation, but this was the first instance that we received such a note from a church for a gift we had made.

  It was both wonderful and unsettling.

  It was wonderful because we were on the receiving end of gratitude and sincere thankfulness. Our gift was as meaningful to the church as it was to us.

  It was unsettling, because it made me realize that other churches we had attended considered our giving as a duty, where a year-end form letter was sufficient.

  Our values are such that we volunteer and support the causes we believe in with a generous spirit, not from a sense of duty. We give because it is meaningful to us and we believe in the cause – not because it is expected. We want to support the organizations that speak on behalf of the causes we believe in.

  Of course, it would be a logistical challenge for a church that relies on weekly giving to send out a thank you note every week – or would it? How could it powerfully transform the connection the donor has to their church and the cause it represents, if gratitude were expressed every week?

  I am proud to have served for many years on the board of Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio. I am always impressed that every donor receives a personally signed thank you card, for every donation that is made. The notes are sent because the gift was meaningful to the donor, and the thank you note is an acknowledgment that the gift is meaningful to the Food Bank.

  Small actions often speak louder than big words. A thank you note leaves an impression that will last for years. The most recent impression you make may be the most memorable.

  ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

  It’s not always what you say, it’s often how you say it. Consider again that all communications are donor communications.

  You may be thinking that there is a question of scale – not every donor is an individual, and not every donation can be acknowledged in the same way. What about grants? What about major gifts? What about capital campaigns? Every gift must be acknowledged, and never ignored. The acknowledgment should be appropriate to the gift. Some gifts warrant thank you notes or letters. Larger gifts might warrant a personal call or letter from the executive director or a board member. Transformational gifts might require that you name a building, or offer another form of personal recognition.

  A colleague shared: “When I get busy and need to refocus, I write thank you notes.”

  Ask the supporter why they are making the gift, and what it means to them. Ask them what they might be expecting in return (if anything). Never assume anything. You won’t know what their true motivation is until you ask – whether it’s altruistic or for seeking personal recognition – or somewhere in between.

  You won’t know a supporter’s specific motivation until you ask. If you ask, you will be able to express the organization’s gratitude for the gift in a way that is most meaningful to the donor (and you’ll be able to gather relevant data as to why your supporters get involved with and donate to your cause).

  Regardless of the type of donation, every donation must be acknowledged. It’s not about whether it’s convenient for your organization, or if there is no process in place. Being grateful is a principle that acknowledges to your supporters that their gifts are meaningful. Gratefulness recognizes that the gift is important and will make a difference. Being grateful is about how the donor feels a
bout giving, not about the gift itself. Gratefulness is a cultural practice.

  HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?

  Let me share another story with you, about why being grateful matters.

  During the course of a project, my firm chose to make a gift-in-kind donation of services for the program with which we were working. We recognize the importance and value of the mission of the program, and are fully committed to the cause it represents.

  The project on which we were working was extensive; a significant change in scope went beyond the budget that had been approved, and for which we would be paid. We chose to continue our work and complete the project on a pro bono basis, with the intent to report the work as a gift-in-kind donation.

  The goal was to enhance the perception of the program as a leader in its area of influence, and we felt compelled to contribute to that goal. By all measures, the project was a success, and improved the perception of the program to its stakeholders (including a major grantmaking organization) – not only regionally, but also nationally.

  As is our policy, and at our client’s request, we wrote a letter outlining our gift-in-kind donation, and explained our decision to make the equivalent of a five-figure contribution of strategic and creative services. The program office acknowledged receipt of the letter, and forwarded a copy to the parent organization for recording of the donation.

  Then we waited.

  One, two, three weeks went by. I started thinking that it was unusual that we had not received even a simple acknowledgment of the contribution. We considered our gift to be an important and significant contribution. We waited one more week, and in the fifth week reached out to the program office to inquire as to whether or not our letter was even received by the parent organization.

  As it turned out, neither the parent organization staff nor the leadership seemed to be aware of the donation – or the letter. A short while later we received what was clearly a form thank you letter, with a computer-generated signature of the parent organization’s president. Most likely, the individual is still unaware of our gift.

  Needless to say, I was disappointed. I understand our gift was not monetary. What was a meaningful, generous gift of services was absorbed into the organization without consideration.

  The thank you became meaningless, and my affinity for and belief in the cause changed that day.

  A relationship that had been stewarded and nurtured over many years was tarnished by the oversight of something as simple as recognition and acknowledgment of this donation. The leadership did not recognize the significance of the donation to my business, and my family, as the donor. Not only do I have the perception that the gift was not meaningful to them, but in my mind the perception was also created that they did not recognize it was meaningful to me.

  Do you have a similar story in your life where the expectation of gratefulness was met with indifference?

  It doesn’t have to be this way.

  We also support a different nonprofit through design and marketing services. The relationship with this organization had become one in which I thought our gifts of time and resources were unappreciated and taken for granted. A newly-appointed leader of this organization specifically called to ask if we would be willing to continue our support, instead of assuming that we were still interested. He took the time to meet with me and explain that our help was crucial to their cause, and asked if we would be willing to continue our work. Since then, I’ve received thank you notes and verbal acknowledgments of appreciation for the work we’ve done. This leader recognized that our gifts are meaningful and, through his expressions of gratitude, reminded me that they are appreciated. That’s the way it should be.

  A SACRED TRUST

  Gratefulness is a sacred trust: donors choose to support organizations whose purpose upholds the values they hold most important, and whose mission they believe in. Gratefulness is a character quality, and is expressed in the culture of your organization.

  The values that represent a cause are expressed in the character of your organization. Organizations have purpose, expressed through their character and acted on through their culture.

  Donors and supporters entrust you with their values through the donation of time or money or services. What you do with it, how you hold the trust sacred, how you acknowledge it – sends a message about how meaningful their gift is. When a gift is not acknowledged or service is not recognized, you’re not just demeaning a donor’s gift, you’re rejecting their values.

  Philanthropy, development, and stewardship would be transformed if every advocate, ambassador, and fundraiser understood the true gift that is given is the supporter’s trust. Money, services, or time is an accompaniment to that gift, and evidence of the donor’s commitment.

  Fundraising relationships will be transformed when you realize what you are asking a donor to do is trust you to manage their investment for a measurable impact. Money, or any other gift, is just proof of the exchange.

  The trust a supporter gives an organization is more important than the donation that accompanies it.

  STEWARDSHIP

  Even if a gift or donation isn’t meaningful to the organization – it’s always of primary importance to the donor. How it is acknowledged will affect the relationship forever. Every gift or act of support comes with the supporter’s hope and expectation of making an impact. Acknowledging the impact that the gift has made, or will make, is essential to stewardship.

  The fact that our in-kind donation was overlooked may have been an oversight; it may have been a breakdown in process; it may be that there is no process at all. In any organization, there should be a clearly defined process in place – from the board, to the executive level, to the fundraising level, to the staff – a policy and process of what must occur when any donation is made.

  Think about any organization you are involved with. Are you aware of what occurs after a donation is made? How a nonprofit responds after a donation is made is critical to the stewardship of the donor relationship.

  STEWARDSHIP STARTS AT THE BEGINNING

  Consider the many types of tax exempt entities who accept donations: churches, charities, foundations, colleges, universities, and schools. Each accepts donations of different monetary amounts, and in different ways. In churches and faith-based organizations there is an expectation of giving. Based on interpretation of religious doctrine, a percentage is anticipated. At times, a church member’s commitment to the cause may even be evaluated based on that percentage.

  Colleges and universities solicit funding from alumni and the community – communicating the core values of the institution, in order to project values that align with these stakeholders. Their marketing and outreach also seeks to appeal to potential supporters’ interest in education, economic development, athletics, research, the arts, or any other initiative that the institution has as part of its mission.

  Foundations seek gifts to create impact-based grants, awarding support to charities and meaningful causes that apply for funding from the foundations, the community, and individuals.

  We tend to see gratitude as a one-time activity that is accomplished once a thank-you note is sent. But when it comes to stewarding donors, why not consider it as an ongoing process? Never pass up an opportunity to say thank you and engage a donor at a deeper level.

  Gratefulness must be part of your tone of voice in all communication touch points.

  Volunteers must be affirmed and thanked for the gift of their time in support of your cause, no matter where, when, or how they serve. All volunteer time is important, don’t take any of it for granted.

  Begin the process of thanking every individual in the same way you thank institutional grant-making donors. A personally signed thank you from the executive director, president, or CEO is meaningful, and greatly appreciated by any donor. Sign it in a different color of ink to show its authenticity.

  Reach out to advocates and engage them enthusiastically in social media. Have a conversation. Say t
hank you. Ask questions.

  Think of your own experience:

  What frame of mind are you in when you are likely to make a donation? What are your expectations once the donation is made?

  Are you expecting a thank you?

  Is email sufficient?

  Would a personal note be more meaningful?

  Would a personal phone call make you feel that your donation really mattered?

  The largest of national and regional nonprofits will have mostly automated processes for acknowledging donations; these will be personalized as much as possible and will project the appearance of personalization. There are an abundance of local nonprofits, from charities to churches to colleges, that could benefit from truly personalized expressions of thanks, appropriate to the size and type of donation.

  A personal thank you says “We appreciate your donation. We’re thankful that our mission is important to you, and that you want to support the cause we represent. We are committed to be good stewards of your donation, and our ongoing relationship with you is as meaningful as the investment you have made in us.”

  When an individual understands how their values align with your organization’s values and the cause it represents, their participation and support gives them more than an opportunity to be involved – it gives them a story to share; a point of connection; and personal meaning. Supporters of all types want to be invited into a relationship (attracted); welcomed (informed); and made to feel like they are part of something bigger (inspired and engaged). Your organization may be small (or, maybe it’s not!); the cause it represents is large.