Is Your Donor Engagement Gold Medal Worthy?
The Summer Olympics are here and let me tell you: I am here for it!
It’s incredible watching these amazing athletes put everything on the line. And hearing their stories and seeing their loved ones ecstatically cheer them on.
Plus, PARIS. 🇫🇷 🥖 🥐 ☕
Most of us will never participate in the Olympics and have the chance to earn one of those amazing medals. (sighs.)
And that got me thinking… what would be medal-worthy feats in the nonprofit donor engagement realm? Using gymnastics scoring, here’s how I would rate an org’s performance:
The DIFFICULTY SCORE in gymnastics is defined as “difficulty, connection value, and element requirements.” For all you Donor Engagement Olympians, I would be looking for:
🥇 Consistent Core Messaging rooted in a solid Case for Support Narrative
🥇 Relational Fundraising focused on high-ROI actions
🥇 Fully developed Donor Segmentation Strategy with defined Journeys
🥇 A clear Financing Plan to fully fund the mission (Sherry Quam Taylor is the GOAT here)
The EXECUTION SCORE in gymnastics includes “execution, artistry, composition, and technique”:
🥇 Detailed, multi-functional Donor Engagement Strategic Plan for the year ahead
🥇 Creative Campaign Themes for presenting the Case Narrative to donors in a fresh way
🥇 Generous budget for Graphic Design that aligns with your mission & inspires donors
And watch out for these POINT DEDUCTIONS:
❌ Dev Director is too busy with tasks to focus on top gift strategy
❌ Inconsistent, unclear, bland donor messaging
❌ Dev Team is in constant comm circus chaos
❌ Donors aren't treated as true partners in the mission
❌ Your org is the center of every communication
So tell me… would your current Donor Engagement performance win you a spot on the podium?!
Let’s get your team those high scores—I’m like your coach, cheerleader, and technical advisor, all rolled into one.
Ready for more?
Here are two ways I can help you make your mission irresistible to donors:
1. Connect with me or follow me on LinkedIn.
That’s the first place I explore donor strategy ideas like these. Be sure to join the convo!
2. Work with me.
I help nonprofits already raising $1M+ annually to remove the mission-critical blind spots that keep their donors from giving and keep their teams running ragged. Should we work together? Let’s see!
Schedule your 15-minute Change Chat here and share about your nonprofit and how you’d like to improve your donor strategy.