How to Keep Your Best Donors from Forgetting About Your Work During the Coronavirus Pandemic
“How can I help?”
This is the question many of us are asking as we watch the impact of the coronavirus impact on our families and communities.
Understandably, many nonprofits are anxious about their program delivery and financial stability. The reality is that your work matters now more than ever, and in order to ensure it persists through this pandemic and far beyond, it’s crucial that you communicate proactively, confidently, and positively with your funders and supporters.
Take the time to create a brief coronavirus case for support to rearticulate your need statement, programs and work, and share a strong call to action. Your coronavirus case for support will build the backbone of your pandemic communications, and refocus your fundraising and messaging on your commitment to your mission and the persistent and growing need for your work to continue.
Why Your Donors Still Care
Right now, I am seeing many nonprofits fall into the common trap of conflating their statement of need with their need for general operating funds. It’s easy to understand why: we’re all focused on keeping our doors open and paying our staff, and it’s easy to succumb to the feeling that fundraising - not program delivery - is the most pressing emergency.
The problem you need to articulate right now is not your organization’s cash flow challenges. Why should your donors invest in that? Instead, take the time to answer “why should my donors care right now?” and paint a picture of the work you are doing and the impact it has on your community.
Many individuals, communities, and funders are looking for ways to get involved and support causes they care about. It’s up to you to remind them why your work still matters — probably even more than before coronavirus.
What’s happening around you, and why should your donors care? If you are an animal shelter, who is caring for the animals with diminished volunteering and social distancing? How is your school-based program pivoting to support underserved students in a time of online learning? Why do your senior citizens need even more support now?
Your goal here is to remind your supporters that even though the world is dramatically changed by the coronavirus pandemic, the need your constituents face remains pressing and significant.
Read More: How to Write a Grant Proposal Need Statement That Gets Funded
So, What Are You Doing?
You’ve pivoted your programs to stay mission-focused, rolled out online programming, and are working around the clock to support your constituents. Now is the time to proactively, proudly, and confidently share how your organization is specifically carrying out your mission even as you make changes to your programs and operations. Take the time to describe:
How your organization is adapting during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders and economic ramifications.
How your work has changed and what you are doing to respond to the growing need for your services.
What will happen if you can’t help? How will your constituents, communities —and donors — be impacted now and in the future?
Sharing your current work demonstrates your capacity and credibility as an organization. It also shows individual donors and institutional funders that you continue to use their funds wisely, while illustrating how future donations will continue to have tremendous impact.
Read More: 4 Things All Nonprofits Must Be Doing During the Coronavirus Pandemic
What You Need, and When You Need It
Don’t assume your donors can read between the lines and translate your programmatic updates into a request for donations. And, whatever you do, don’t assume that your donors will say no to your request for their financial support.
Tell your donors clearly what you need from them (a donation!) and when you need it (now!). While you may think that no one will give in this time of global crisis, remember that you are providing donors an opportunity to make a difference in a cause they already care deeply about. You’re giving them the opportunity to make a real change, and reminding them that they are your secret weapon.
Giant Squid Group firmly believes that nonprofits are critical to helping our communities through this crisis, and we’re committed to supporting you. We’ve opened our calendar to pro-bono coaching calls. If you have a fundraising challenge, want to discuss COVID-19 messaging, or just want to chat, book a free call today.
Join Giant Squid Group for a Nonprofit Lunch ‘n Learn
We heard you loud and clear: overwhelmingly, nonprofit professionals who filled out our COVID-19 survey wanted to network, talk, and learn from other nonprofit professionals. (If you still want to fill out the survey, please do!)
Starting April 10th, we’re hosting Nonprofit Lunch ‘n Learn sessions every Friday at 11:00 am CST. Each week will feature an exceptional nonprofit professional who will bring their insight to a casual discussion around fundraising, grant writing, nonprofit leadership, marketing, and more.
I hope you will make a fresh pot of coffee (or heck, grab a beer), throw on your favorite hoodie, and join your nonprofit peeps for a lively discussion on myriad topics.
Nonprofit Lunch ‘n Learn: April 10, 2020
Join KJ Hardy, Co-Executive Director of the Chicago Foundation for Education for a conversation about how we're adapting to our “new normal” as nonprofit professionals, how CFE is communicating with donors and constituents in this ever-evolving landscape of fundraising during a pandemic, and how CFE’s #UpliftOurEducators marketing campaign is creating a meaningful, mission-focused online community.
