Two months into 2018 and do you think you’re still struggling with fundraising?
If yes, then there are certain things that your church needs to look into and make sure everything is efficiently done.
But first, the thing that churches and charities need to consider is that they need to have charity software that can reduce the manual labor for them while also does complete and error-free donation management. Having said that, it can be pointed – the same software can be a good thing to use when planning for fundraising since there are a number of things that the software can manage for you.
Further are the three ways to improve the church’s fundraising program so more donors donate.
- Transparency with the Donors Goes a Long Way – There is nothing better than being honest and transparent with the donors. Transparency means that you need to calculate a way in which you can tell your donors how exactly you’re spending the money and what have you been able to achieve over whatever the period of time.
Transparency is also calculated in the following terms:
- Transparency on Money Matters: Financial transparency is one of the most important things ever and needs to be considered in all cases. Make sure to keep your donors well informed about your achievements in the past and how you have been managing the expenses. Let them know the amount of the donations that you have received over a period of time – for this you can send in regular emails that tell about the donation amount. Keeping your finances transparent with the donors will build their trust in you and open the doors of a long-term relationship.
- Program Vise Transparency: Your donors deserve to know the impact of their donations and that is exactly what program transparency is all about. Make sure to keep your donors informed about any activities that your church gas done in the past or are planning in near future. This is just a way in which you can tell your donors how you have taken the responsibility of helping the community and how have been managing the work that you have taken in hand.
- Personalize Your Donor Experience – Your conversations with your donors shouldn’t just speak of your professional relations; make them personal and watch how easy it can all be. Make it a point to never keep the conversation just about donations, it is okay once in a while but talking just donations will bore them earlier than ever.
Make it a habit to address them with their first name rather than using Sir and Ma’am, this should be the first step when writing an email or when carrying out a one on one conversation. Also, what is recommended to make it a more personalized experience for the donors is being more frequent with phone calls and messages than emails – this is the way to let them know that you’re thinking of them more often and are really willing to take this relationship further. Another thing that can be done is sending in handwritten notes and giving it all a further personal touch. Remember these handwritten cards and letters will go a long way and most of 90 percent of the donors will appreciate your move.
- Do Not Forget Auditing – Now, this is a huge point and you just cannot afford to miss this one if you’re actually focusing on improving your fundraising program for the year 2018. Whatever software you’re using make sure to carry out a quick audit program so you know nothing ever goes wrong in here.
Ask yourself these quick questions and get these answered by your team
- How much is the current time you are spending in the current data system that you are using?
- How much time are you spending interacting with the donors?
- What are you doing to attract new donors and what are you doing to keep the old ones?
- Do you have a system that can efficiently manage everything including and whether or not there is anything that is being ignored?
- Is it possible for your system to easily process reports?
Take Away – What the churches, charities, and non-profits seek to understand is how things will be done for them – this means it is a crucial point for them to prepare everything that is required to improve their fundraising program.
