Everything’s Not Awesome: Ten Ways to Inspire Donors When Times Are Tough
I have a young child who is Lego obsessed, so I spend a fair amount of time listening to the Lego movie soundtracks. Of course, most people know the ear-worm that is the theme song from the first film.
EVERYTHING IS AWESOME! Everything is cool when you’re part of a team. Everything is awesome, when you’re living our dream.
But the second movie turns that song on its head with my kid’s current favorite song “Everything’s Not Awesome.”
Everything’s not awesome.
Everything’s not cool. I am so depressed.
Everything’s not awesome.
Woah! I finally get Radiohead!
I know that’s how SO many of us are feeling right now. In a world beaten down by a pandemic, economic recession, and so much need and inequity that’s been brought to light by these forces. As nonprofit professionals, we’re seeing that so acutely. Whether you are overwhelmed serving clients at direct service organizations or you’re shuttered and having to think creatively about how you still serve your patrons as have so many arts organizations, I’m seeing many nonprofit professionals feeling burned out and hopeless.
Last week, looking over a client’s thank you note template, I caught a line. It said, “While we were able to help today, it’s only a small offering in the face of mounting need.” I called it out to him. I pointed out it may make the donor feel pretty insignificant, and he said “But it’s how I feel. I’m so discouraged. We’re just putting a band-aid on the problem. We can’t make anything better right now.” I reminded him that, to his organization’s clients, he’s making a world of difference every single day, and that’s not something to take lightly. We stopped focusing on the mounting need and celebrated (if just for a moment) the people who were helped and supported due to his organization’s work.
While so much of fundraising messaging tends to have a “ra-ra, we can do it” flavor, it’s okay when everything’s not awesome. Here’s the bit of the song that I can’t get out of my head right now:
Everything’s not awesome.
Things can’t be awesome all of the time.
It’s an unrealistic expectation,
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try...
To make everything awesome,
In a less idealistic kind of a way.
We should maybe aim for “not bad,” ‘cause not bad could be real great.
Sometimes “not bad” is the best we can hope for, but how do you tell your donors that?
Fortunately/unfortunately, I have a fair amount of practice in taking major setbacks and helping donors see opportunities where others see insurmountable obstacles. I spent seven years working for advocacy organizations as an in-house fundraiser. Having to positively message setbacks is a kind of an art form with advocacy organizations. After all, advocacy organizations have long struggled against outside forces making their missions and goals difficult and accomplishments unpredictable. Elections can spell mountains of work undone; a new administration can crush a foreign policy goal you’ve worked on for the prior eight years (something I witnessed first-hand).
I’ve helped organizations grow despite those setbacks, primarily by making sure supporters don’t lose morale in the face of a setback. Here are ten tips I learned in my years of fundraising for advocacy organizations about how to talk to donors in times of trouble.
1. State the need
Many organizations are scared to be honest with their donors when the needs grow. They are concerned that donors will think they are misusing money when they come back for more after promising certain results.
While it is true that chronically underestimating costs or misspending funds will turn donors off (rightly so), I’ve seen time and again that if you help your donors to understand why your organization’s needs have grown, your loyal donors find ways to rise to the occasion.
Bottom line, if your donors don’t know there’s an increased need for your services, they can’t give more. Everyone in the world is impacted by COVID right now. Your donors know that needs and circumstances are changing, they know hardships are growing; none of this will be news to them. Explain how COVID is impacting your nonprofit, and give them a chance to give you what you need.
2. Call out the progress you’ve made
At the same time, celebrate successes, even if you know that there’s so much more need. Food banks are serving more clients by orders of magnitude. Yes, it feels like the need is unending, but at the same time, organizations are feeding thousands more clients than ever before.
Help your donors see the progress. Tell them how many more people you ARE serving, as well has how many more people you need to serve. People are feeling powerless these days; give your donors a much-needed morale boost by helping them see that they are making a difference for your clients. (And get a morale boost yourself by recognizing this and giving yourself some credit as well.)
3. Point out the path ahead, and show you have certainty and purpose
Uncertain times call for certainty. When you can show your donors that you see the problem and you have a plan, you can instill confidence amid chaos.
Show your donors how your mission has been impacted or changed due to the pandemic, and show them you have a plan for changing with the times. I’ve seen this in my clients who have deftly messaged a pivot to online arts programming; in clients who have successfully reassured their clients that despite their arts organization being shuttered, they have the funds in their reserve to retain their staff...and exactly how they will be doing that.
Show you have a plan, and you’ll gain your donor’s confidence, even if the numbers feel overwhelming and against you.
4. Recognize where you sit in the broad scope of people working on the problem
One thing I learned from advocacy is that setbacks lead to mission creep, so watch out! When I worked at a policy-level advocacy organization, we had a board member asking us to pivot to grassroots organizing after a major champion of our issue lost a re-election bid. But we already had a partner organization that focused on grassroots advocacy on our same issue. We were partners for a reason...they were good at grassroots, we were good at policy. We didn’t need to change lanes when that happened, we needed to rely on our partner.
Similarly, under the pressure of COVID, I’ve seen organizations want to expand offerings into areas that are adjacent to the services they provide, but with which they have little familiarity. Almost inevitably when I ask them to evaluate their place in this space, they realize there’s another organization working on the issue or it’s really outside of their stated mission. Remember your place when you feel the need to do more. Do more of what you’re good at, not more work in general.
5. Be honest about what setbacks mean, and where they increase your needs
As with stating your need in #1, be honest about setbacks. Nobody can know everything in an unprecedented crisis like the current pandemic. When something happens and your needs grow or change, tell your donors and be honest. That doesn’t mean messaging them EVERY time a new issue comes up, but pick strategic points where you are having to pivot and bring them up to speed.
6. Be honest about what success looks like, even if success means hitting a target much lower than you’d like
When setbacks happen, you have to reassess what success looks like. In my years working in advocacy, sometimes our goal was “less awful” instead of some amazing hopeful target. As the Lego movie song reminds us, sometimes “not bad could be real great.”
In my many years working at advocacy organizations, I’ve seen goals shift from “hit awesome, aspirational target” to “keep legislation from moving backwards” due to circumstances outside of the organization’s control. When you are honest about what success looks like, why, and how you’ll keep trying for better, your donors get it. Usually, they’re seeing the problem in much the same way you are (it’s why they are drawn to you in the first place).
7. Don’t be afraid to show donors that it’s hard
While we in the nonprofit world usually aim to inspire, don’t be afraid to let your donors know when it’s hard. Don’t be afraid to let them see a bit of the struggle. I’ve seen it work really well, if you balance the hard with the hope.
Years ago, I was working with an executive director who was feeling really discouraged. Something out of their control changed, and it created a tidal wave of need for their work. We were working on an appeal, and she just couldn’t get behind anything we drafted that felt optimistic. She looked at me and said, “but Kelly, this work is SO HARD!” So we re-aligned the messaging.
We wrote an honest appeal about how she was feeling, the need that never stopped growing, the children’s faces that kept her awake at night. The appeal did really well with the organization’s donors. We raised more in a spring appeal than we ever had before, and beyond the donations, we were getting notes back in our remittance envelopes that we ended up posting all over the office; donors saying “I believe in you,” “your organization is an inspiration,” and “if anyone can do this, you can!” We not only raised the funds we needed, it gave everyone on staff a much needed emotional boost. It was actually a beautiful thing.
8. But also share the everyday wins that make the work worth showing up for
When you get a win, share that win with your donor. When things are hard, remember why you get up in the morning and do the hard work...and then tell your donor why you do it. As I said before, so many people are feeling hopeless and powerless. Nonprofit work is hard, but it’s also filled with purpose. Remind your donors why you keep fighting so that they can remember why they keep giving.
9. Create space for donors to ask questions
One of my favorite donor “benefits” to offer is face-to-face meetings and opportunities to ask questions of a nonprofit’s leadership. That’s because donors who are really invested in your mission have questions; they want to be brought in on the ground level. Regular conference calls or Zoom meetings with your donors can really go a long way to help build donor confidence and long-term, consistent giving.
One advocacy organization I worked with had a quarterly call with donors. I was consistently blown away by how engaged our donors were, how much they seemed to read our updates, and how much they wanted to help us succeed. Our donors asked questions that provoked new thinking internally and helped shape future actions for the nonprofit…and when that happened I always reported back to that donor. Donors LOVED it! They could see not only how their money made a difference, but how their care made a difference. Give your donors that opportunity whenever you can. It’s good for them, and it’s good for you.
10. Always make sure the donor understands how critical they are to your success
At nonprofits, we are actually pretty good at asking for money. What we’re TERRIBLE at is showing gratitude. We’re terrible at showing our donors that their giving made a difference.
When I’ve grown individual giving programs, 9 times out of 10 I am not changing much about how the organization is ASKING for money, I’m reshaping how the organization reports back to and engages its donors between the asks. Donor retention isn’t about asking more or asking better, it’s about saying thank you and showing gratitude. We have to stop treating donors like ATMs and treat them like investors...that’s what they are. Help them see that they are critical to your success, and they’ll grow in their support.
Need help with that? We’ve got you! Schedule a discovery call today to see if we can bake up a better fundraising recipe for your nonprofit so this year’s bake can rise to new heights!
