Quick tips on building relationships with donors

Building relationships with donors is something we focus on a lot here at Altrui, and I thought now would be a great time to write about that as we introduce our new website and welcome people here for the first time.

Fundraising is all about relationships. Regardless of your role in fundraising at your nonprofit, you can be part of the relationship building with donors.

Here are 6 quick tips for building lasting relationships with donors:

First, set aside time to communicate with donors. This is not about making an ask. It’s simply checking in, sharing impact, or a quick reminder on how grateful you are for their continued support.
Next, get comfortable with the phone. Call your donors. Even if you leave a voicemail you will have affect on them. Let them know of a story you just heard from the program teams. Remember to keep this all about building your relationship with them and not about asking for a donation.
Another great action is to send a personal thank you note. I recently received one and it made my day. All I could think while reading the note was “good on you” for the person who sent it.
We know that thanking is a huge part of building relationships with donors. I like to engage organization leadership and board members in the thanking process. For many donors, a thank you call from a board member adds another connection to the organization and mission.
I also like to share news articles that have anything to do with the mission. These are easy to do, simply copying and pasting the link into an email to the donor. This is especially helpful when your organization is mentioned in the article.
One last idea to help you build relationships with donors is around events. As more events are being planned, carve out some time for donors during the event. I like to have a list of donors I want to make sure I at least say hit to during the event. It definitely makes a difference if you can drop by their table to say hi, even if it’s super quick!

There are many actions you can take to build relationships with your donors. The key is to take them!

Thank you for reading!