A guest post by Donna Bellinger

NOTE:  I (Val) had the pleasure of working with Donna for a few years at Senior Services.  We were all learning on the job but the thing that has always stuck with me is Donna's authentic and loving interaction with donors. We did a lot of direct mail at the time and Donna took her role as primary contact for thousands of donors to heart.  She's written a blog post about why it's important to value all of your donors. 

There are noteworthy individuals in society whose particular genius is explaining what should be obvious. These synthesizers explain the mechanics of processes and situations that baffle the less aware. Once we hear or read the explanation of, e.g., why one product succeeds and another fails, or why some people become criminals and others do not, we immediately recognize the truth in it. It was there all along, but we were looking at trees; the synthesizer saw how those trees made up the forest, and described the forest so we could see it too.

Successful businesses have that overview of the “forest” while still attending to the individual “trees.” Without it, their enterprise will suffer. Excellent customer service—the kind which does not repeat a memorized script, but actually listens to the customer’s comment—sets a company apart from its competitors and helps it thrive even if their product is comparable to many competitors.

The same is true for nonprofits. An ability to keep the overall purpose and goal in mind and still attend to the details is critical.

Of the donors large and small that I encountered over several years in fundraising, the smallest of them made the largest impression. There were others in the organization who tended large donors, so I was allowed to tend my “flock” of small donors:

• a gentleman living on Social Security who frequently mailed in one or two dollars--I still remember his name
• the 90-plus-year-old woman who wrote with her gift that she lived alone, was disabled, had no local family, but that our charity had meant so much to her, she wanted to help others…with a check that represented 8% of her yearly income.

It may seem to be a luxury for a small non-profit to assign one person to shepherd small donors. What their gifts contribute to the overall bottom line is statistically insignificant, and the need for large gifts—and attention to these donors—is critical. But often overlooked is the small donor’s own need to be a giver, not simply a taker.

Unfortunately the value of good will in the extended community that is reaped from many very small gifts is not possible to calculate and report. To each of those small donors, however, the dignity the nonprofit affords them with prompt and genuine thanks, assurance of their importance to the overall mission, and simple affirmation of their own value, means much more than the financial boost they provide.

In this way, the nonprofit sees the trees and the forest.

Donna is the owner of Edit Proof Writing, a proofreading and administrative support consulting business.  You can reach her at editproofwriting (at) hotmail.com.

Post on Facebook that you are trying to raise $1,000 by the end of the month and the donors will just fly in.

Not likely.

Why bother then?  You need to use social media strategically to support your crowdfunding campaign.  Here are a few tips to get social media to work for you:

#1     Diversity your posts
Don't just post your goal and progress toward it.  Post photos of yourself training. Share why you care and why you are raising money.  Post photos related to the cause that you're supporting.

#2    Thank your donors on Facebook
In all likelihood, a lot of your friends are part of larger social groups.  One friend in a social group makes a donation to your cause, and it will inspire others in that network to give.  By thanking your donor friend on Facebook you are not only honoring that person but you are reminding your other friends about your campaign.

#3     Don't be afraid to tag people
The reason why people don't give the first time they are asked is not because they don't want to give to your campaign.  It's usually because they read the email at a bad time, saw it on their phone, or want to wait til payday to donate.  If you tag people on Facebook you are reminding them to give in another way.  I like to think of this as a stronger nudge and usually try other methods first to get a yes or no answer. 

#4     Use Incentives
During my last campaign I promised everyone who gave a custom piece of digital art.  I am still working on it (I haven't forgotten!!!) but when I do finish a piece, I post on Facebook and tag my friend.  I started doing this during my campaign and believe that some people gave a gift because they were also curious about the art I'd create for them.

From my personal experience, the vast majority of donations I've received via crowdfunding have come from personal emails or in person asks.  However, about 15% of my past donors gave in response to the Facebook posts. These were people I didn't ask via email in the first place. 

Don't forget social media but also, don't rely on it to help you reach your goal.  In marketing terms, a multi-channel approach is best!