Donor Relationship Stage : Win Me Back – ft. Braden Spencer from Heart Foundation

Donor Relationship Stage : Win Me Back – ft. Braden Spencer from Heart Foundation

by | Oct 24, 2022 | Donor Endearment, donor engagement, donor-centric, Donor-centricity, Education, Sustainable Fundraising

Win Me Back.

This is the acknowledgment stage. It’s time to listen intently; to face up to the issues and accept the role you played in creating them. You might even need to apologize. Above all, it’s about understanding whether you’re meant to be together and then putting in the effort to make that happen.

For this stage of the donor relationship journey, we were joined by guest NFP speaker Braden Spencer, Head of Individual Giving at Heart Foundation.

A bit about Braden:

Braden is an accomplished fundraising executive who has held senior management NFP and Agency positions in both Australia and Canada. Braden has built many successful fundraising programs over the past 13 years, working for large organisations such as Heart Foundation, Save the Children, and World Vision.

He uses a unique style of vision, creativity, accountability, and genuine care people leadership to ensure success in his programs.

In his spare time, Braden is an adventurer, marathon runner, avid hiker, basketballer, traveler, advocate, volunteer, business owner, strategist, and loving partner.

A bit about Heart Foundation:

Heart Foundation has been the trusted peak body working to improve heart disease prevention, detection, and support for all Australians. For more than 60 years, Heart Foundation has been on a mission to reduce heart disease and improve the heart health, focusing on key areas such as risk reduction, support care, education, and research.

Heart Foundation currently has 15,000 active regular donors, 65,000 lapsed regular donors, 60,000 active single giving donors, and 15,000 active raffle donors.

What Braden had to say about the Win Me Back stage of the Donor Relationship Journey:

Rules are made to be broken…but not these ones:

1. “Data is the key to everything. Without great data you will fail!
2. Invest small, prove it works, invest big – test and innovate.
3. Build your team and/or use the experts – no one person knows everything!
4. Know who your donor is, what motivates them? Look after them!
5. Know your success metrics – reporting and analysis is vital!”

As we all know, COVID19 has had an incredibly impact on the world of fundraising. There has been increasing competition for donors, and while this is happening, donors are changing and adapting to a different way of life post-pandemic. So as fundraisers, we need to be asking ourselves – Who is our target audience (has this changed from what we originally focused on)? What makes our audience give (has their giving process changed)?

Data = Insights:

Starting with clean data is key. Cleaning and enriching your existing data, enables data selection and management of your data, with confidence and ease. Choose your Acquisition channels wisely and think about reducing the size of your audience; this will allow you to focus on the metrics (daily!), and truly get to know your audience on a more meaningful level.

Improve your donor experience in 6 steps:

1. Start by implementing your systems/software…automate everything!
2. Focus on your Acquisition experience to maximise efficiency and impact for your cause.
3. Communicate – thank your donors, and then thank them again!
4. Understand each donor individually. Who are they? Why did they leave? What is their preferred communication channel/s?
5. Apologise where appropriate.
6. Create a fun donor experience. Communicate with your donors in new ways. Be innovative!

Thank you to Braden Spencer for sharing his experience and tips, you can view the full session show notes here.

If you’d like to hear more from the likes of Braden and your fundraising peers, we invite you to join the LemonTree Donor-centric Collective; a community built for fundraisers. The community attracts 1000+ fundraisers across Australia, ranging from small to large NFP’s and guess what…its completely FREE! Enjoy member-only access to community webinars, the chance to speak on behalf of your cause, and most importantly be involved in the donor-centric movement!

Previously in this series:
• Stage 1: Catch Me – ft. Joanne Rogers from The Shepherd Centre
• Stage 2: Welcome Me – ft. Lauren McDermott from Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research
• Stage 3: Teach Me – ft. Jody Crooks from WWF
• Stage 4: Grow Me – ft. Mahza Ahadiwand from Children’s Cancer Institute
• Stage 5: Keep Me – ft. Jonathan Storey from Environment Victoria
• Stage 6: Endear Me – ft. Cassandra Bailey from OzHarvest
• Stage 7: Renew Me – ft. Tata Tan from Royal Far West

Join us in 2023, as we begin our new series ‘First steps to a donor-centric environment’:

Step 1 – Maximise the quality of your data
• Step 2 – Find ways to collaborate
• Step 3 – Ensure strong donor governance
• Step 4 – Recognise their life stage
• Step 5 – Listen to their needs & wants
• Step 6 – Lifetime value & share of wallet
• Step 7 – Optimise your communication
• Step 8 – Nurture & grow

LemonTree and its data-driven fundraising solutions for the NFP industry ft. Niharika Singh

LemonTree and its data-driven fundraising solutions for the NFP industry ft. Niharika Singh

by | Sep 10, 2021 | Behind the scenes, Sustainable Fundraising

You work closely with the LemonTree team to grow and develop the LemonTree solutions. Why is this so important?

The product LemonTree has been a first mover of providing data-driven fundraising solutions in the industry. Even after seven years, it is still one of the most unique value propositions available to the market and has immense potential. Working with the LemonTree team has been fulfilling for me both in terms of personal and professional growth.

From a personal growth perspective, working with not-for-profit clients has opened my mind towards their philanthropic objectives. Interacting with the fundraising managers on a daily basis demonstrates the hard work they put in to make the world a better place.

In terms of professional growth, working on this product has encouraged me to wear many hats at the same time. Even though I was hired only to streamline the delivery of jobs, I have been given the opportunity to participate in product improvement, resource management, project management of the jobs, and support marketing initiatives of LemonTree. Such a vast experience with a steep learning curve is something I cherish and am grateful for. It has motivated me to wake up and thrive for the greater good of the product and hence, its members.

Therefore, it won’t be wrong to say that the growth of the product LemonTree has encouraged me to grow with it. The above mentioned are two of the many reasons which encourage me to constantly improve and develop the LemonTree solution and will always do.

– Niharika Singh, LemonTree Fulfilment Manager

Donor Relationship Stage 5: Keep Me – ft. Jonathan Storey from Environment Victoria

Donor Relationship Stage 5: Keep Me – ft. Jonathan Storey from Environment Victoria

by | Jul 30, 2021 | Customer Journey, donor-centric, Donor-centricity, Sustainable Fundraising

Continuing with our 8-part blog series reviewing the different stages of the donor relationship, this blog delves into donor relationship stage 5: Keep Me.  

For this session, we were joined by guest NFP speaker Jonathan Storey, who has been the resident Fundraising Director of Environment Victoria, for the past 6.5 years. Environment Victoria has been Victoria’s leading environment charity for the past 52 years, campaigning to solve the climate crisis and build a thriving, sustainable society that protects and values nature. Jonathan expanded on ‘Relationship Fundraising’ and the knowledge and insight he has gained from Author Ken Burnett and his experience with Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket. 

Here’s what Jonathan had to say on the Keep Me stage’… 

One of the key things about keeping your donors interested and engaged (and therefore giving) is actually knowing a bit about them. At a basic level that means getting their names and addresses correct, but it’s also things like: 

  • Knowing how they came into your organisation
  • Demographic info like age or household status
  • Interests and motivations
  • Actions they have taken
  • Donation history etc. 

Once you know a bit about your donors you’ll need to keep their information safe, clean and up to date (yes, a database) and have a plan to engage with them through the channels they inhabit. 

Content and delivery strategies will vary depending on your organisation but one piece of advice I would give is not to narrowcast through long complex supporter journeys. The last place you want donors to end up is in the bottomless silo that can be marketing over-automation. 

Instead think about the breadth of the journey and build shorter, meaningful journeys based on specific purposes. Make sure it all fits in with your brand communications, so each interaction makes sense with the bigger picture for long term retention. 

A good place to start the Keep Me experience is your donation page. It is a short journey, but so often poorly executed. Does your page load in a second or two? Can I read it on a mobile? Do propositions and dollar amounts match the ask? Can I give by PayPal? Why do they want my date of birth? If you are not happy with the experience, then donors are probably less than impressed too. 

A final word – in a nutshell, try and send out as much as you can to as many people as possible. Just make sure it’s good.

You can view Jonathan full presentation here. 

If you’d like to hear more from the likes of Jonathan and your fundraising peers, we invite you to join the LemonTree Donor-centric Collective; a community built for fundraisers. The community attracts 1000+ fundraisers across Australia, ranging from small to large NFP’s and guess what…its completely FREE! Enjoy member only access to community luncheons, webinars, our LinkedIn community group, the chance to speak on behalf of your cause, and most importantly be involved in the donor-centric movement!

Thank you to Jonathan Storey for sharing his knowledge on the Keep Me stage in the donor relationship journey.

Previously in this series:

 Next up in this series:

  • Grow Me
  • Keep Me
  • Endear Me
  • Renew Me
  • Win Me Back
The gift of saying “Thank you” to your volunteers

The gift of saying “Thank you” to your volunteers

by | May 17, 2021 | donor engagement, donor-centric, Sustainable Fundraising

For many of our LemonTree members, volunteers play a massive role in their fundraising efforts; including The Salvation Army, Vinnies, Surf Life Saving Foundation, Food Bank, Cancer Council, Guide Dogs and many more.

Saying “Thank You” is often cited as the most powerful communication you can deliver to your donor and we truly believe this logic also applies to your volunteers – after all they’re your walking – talking – breathing mascot! Your volunteers give their time freely for a number of reasons; for some its an opportunity to give something back to the community, for others there is an emotional connection to your cause or their just so incredibly passionate about the impact your cause has on the world and for many its just because volunteering makes them happy. 

I recently read an interesting article title ‘The Power of Thank You – Gratitude can change the world for the better’, by MJ Blehart, a practitioner of mindfulness, positivity, philosophy, & conscious reality creation. According to MJ ‘hearing “thank you” conveys a sense of accomplishment, positive reinforcement, of appreciation. Saying it expresses your gratitude for people and things… Don’t you love how it feels when you are thanked for a gift, for a compliment, for a job well done, for helping, and/or for thinking of someone? I have not met anyone who did not receive sincere thanks and NOT felt better and more positive because of it.’

Here is what Volunteering Australia has to say about National Volunteer Week…

National Volunteer Week (NVW) is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteers. From Monday 17th to Sunday 23rd May 2021, NVW will celebrate the significant contribution of Australia’s almost six million volunteers. Each year these volunteers dedicate over 600 million hours to help others.

The theme for NVW 2021 is Recognise. Reconnect. Reimagine. which acknowledges that it is time to: 

  • RECOGNISE, celebrate and thank volunteers for the vital role they play in our lives.
    Never has this been more evident than after a year where Australia has dealt with drought, devastating bushfires, floods and then a global pandemic. Amidst the pandemic, while many of us stayed home, volunteers continued to deliver essential services, organise food packages and offer care, comfort and more to support the well-being of Australians. Volunteers make our communities stronger, especially during times of need, crisis or isolation.
  • RECONNECT to what is important by giving our time to help others and ourselves.
    In a year     when many of us have experienced increased loneliness or isolation, mental health or financial stress, volunteering can help. Evidence shows that volunteering connects us to others in our local communities, to better mental well-being or to potential pathways to employment. When we help others in our community or give our time to a cause we value, we also give back to ourselves. Explore volunteer opportunities by visiting www.GoVolunteer.com.au.
  • REIMAGINE how we better support volunteers and communities they help.
    Since 2014, Australia has seen a 20 per cent decline in the number of hours volunteers give. During COVID-19, two-thirds of volunteers stopped working and a recent study highlights that social purpose organisations continue to lose one in four volunteers due to illness or caring responsibilities. In the current changing environment, where Australians are time-poor and experiencing higher degrees of uncertainty and stress, we need to reimagine how we do things. We need to collaborate more and adapt our volunteering practices and programs so we can better support and engage volunteers to continue the necessary work that they do.

Volunteering Australia has created a wonderful resources page to help you show your appreciation for your volunteers using certificates, posters, social media tiles, and more. We encourage you to nurture these special charity-volunteer relationships, just as you nurture your donor relationships. Why not take the time to show gratitude by saying “thank you” to the people who freely give their time and energy to support your cause?

Article sources:

https://www.volunteeringaustralia.org/get-involved/nvw/

https://mjblehart.medium.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-dyer-30589a46/

The importance of leadership in the fundraising sector

The importance of leadership in the fundraising sector

by | Dec 10, 2020 | Sustainable Fundraising

Reset, Reimagine, Re-equip for 2021

We’ll say it…Fundraising is hard! The world of fundraising is fundamentally shifting all the time; with old communications meeting new communications. And its a no brainer, COVID-19 has accelerated the impacts of a lot of underlying pieces of technology and environmental factors. The way in which we decide, buy, work, connect and live, have all altered – creating a different need for the human aspect, human element and human leadership.

Ashton Bishop, the founder of Step Change, knows how busy Fundraising Managers are. Which is why he’s taken his 3-day leadership course and condensed it into a 6-hour digital learning module, in a fun and interactive style of learning. And wait for it…you also have 3 months to complete the course at your own pace!

In challenging times we all need a set of tools to lean on and tap into. So why not challenge yourself and lead your cause into 2021, with a clear mindset and vision. Create your own sustainable change, challenge yourself, acknowledge your weaknesses, and build a better you!

Step Change have extended their BLACK FRIDAY pricing for our LemonTree community, offering 20% OFF their $299 leadership course ‘Leaders Mindset’.

Our unique discount code – LEMONTREE
(Offer ends EOD 18 December 2020)

BECOME A LEADER FOR YOUR CAUSE!