A Friendly Guide to Using Digital Touchpoints with Donors

“Is it ok to text donors?” We hear this question a lot from clients. The answer is a resounding “Yes!” But only if they’ve given you permission.

Knowing a donor’s communication preferences is a critical piece of your relationship strategy with your donors. Early in the relationship, you should ask donors what their preferred method of communication is with you, their personal donor representative. And don’t just assume that once you get an answer you never need to ask again.

Digital touch points can be a powerful method of communicating your donor’s impact on the mission of your organization. Many times, digital touch points (like texting) convey a sense of immediacy and personalization that a mailed piece, or a mass email, just can’t do.

Sounding Like a Huma

In this blog post, we’re not talking about your marketing team’s digital strategies. Those are important, of course; instead, we’re discussing more individualized, personal strategies to communicate with your donors. And you definitely don’t have to be a marketing expert!

Another important aspect of your digital outreach is talking like a human being and speaking like you’re communicating person to person with your donor. This will help ensure that your messages stand out from your organization’s mass marketing pieces. Make sure your message is authentic and personalize the message to your donors’ passions and interests.

Here are a few tips for talking like a human in your digital interactions:

• Write the way you talk—unless the way you talk is super formal and full of jargon, in which case we recommend working to make your conversation approach more natural.
• Practice reading your message or touch point out loud. Does it feel generic or forced? Make note of areas where you can adjust.
• Be clear and direct about what you are hoping to communicate.

Types of Digital Touch Points to Use

When you are planning your 12-month communications plans for your donors, make sure you vary the methods, especially if they're OK receiving them. There are many effective digital touch points. Here are some that we have found to be very effective with our clients:

• Texts: If your donor tells you they’re OK with you texting them, it can be a great way to share videos and photos, to report back on impact quickly and keep your donors plugged into the programs they’re supporting. Professional boundaries here are important: Keep your texts during working hours, and don’t think you have to respond to a donor’s reply text immediately or outside of working hours.
  
• Email: This is the most common form of digitally communicating with donors. However, we want you to really think about how you can authentically communicate with your donor and deliver messages that are highly personalized and aligned with their passions and interests. Some ways to help your email stand out: Create engaging subject lines, incorporate a “pull question” to drive your donor’s response, ensure you have a clear goal with the touch point, and keep your email to only one topic or action you want them to take.
  
• Video content: Use your phone’s camera to take your donor “to the scene” in your programs. Video yourself or a program colleague telling a meaningful client story. Or take your donors on a virtual tour! Using videos can be an important way for your donors to see who you are as well as see programs in action. Thank-you videos can be powerful. There are some tools like Gratavid, Bombbomb, VideoAsk, Thankview, but using your phone is good, too.
  
• Live group video calls: Many organizations see success by hosting video calls with their CEO to discuss strategic plans, important updates, or organizational changes. These can be annual messages, or quarterly updates. Or you could host a call with program staff talking to donors about a specific program, ideally on-site at that program. Be sure you record any live video events and send them to donors who couldn’t attend.
  
• 1:1 video calls/meetings: These days, some donors prefer a video call rather than a face-to-face meeting. Video meetings are also a tool to efficiently reach donors who live far away from your programs. These calls are also a great way to get your CEO involved in talking with donors alongside you. One-to-one meetings with a donor can be just about anything if they are purposeful, move your plan forward, and are of value to the donor. And yes, you can certainly make an ask via a video call, especially if your donor prefers that over face-to-face.

What digital touch points are you using? What are your donors responding to? Tell us in the comments.

This blog is part of a series about touch points:

Part 1: Why Do You Need Touch Points?

Part 2: What Is Your Touch Point Objective?

Part 3: How to Make Touch Points Personal (And Sound Like a Real Person)

Part 4: How to Tailor Your Touch Point to Your Donor