The Anatomy of a Great Touch Point

Not long ago, I received one of the most meaningful donor touch points in my life—and I didn’t see it coming. It caught me completely off guard in the best possible way, and it reminded me just how powerful authentic, emotionally resonant communication can be.

Let me give you some context. I volunteer for a local community theater and serve on one of its committees. A good friend of mine, who also happens to be the theater’s VP of Development, sent me a simple text one morning. It included a link to a short video and a message that read: “Watch this and try not to cry.”

The video featured one of the theater’s outreach programs, where they bring musical theater into a senior care facility. As I watched these older adults singing and performing with joy and vulnerability, the tears came, just like he predicted.

That short interaction—a seemingly casual moment—turned out to be an incredibly effective touch point. Why did it work so well? And what can we all learn from it when thinking about donor engagement? Let me explain.

1. It honored my specific passions and interests related to the organization 
   My friend knows that I am especially passionate about the experiences enjoyed by the people participating in their programs—not the end product. He knows more of the “why” behind my support of this theater (my own background participating in the arts), and I have shared with him in the past why I think their outreach programs are so important. He could have sent me videos of any of their various performances; instead, he chose to send me a video of a program that means a lot to me and reminded me why I care enough to support this organization.
2. It made me feel like an insider
   This theater has a good marketing team and creates nice, well-produced videos and materials. But my friend chose to send me a slightly shaky cell-phone video of a program in progress without any editing. And that made it so much more special! I got a sneak peak of something that the public doesn’t normally see. I got to step into the day-to-day of how their staff members impact people’s lives. It made me feel trusted that they shared this video with me. They know I am someone who “gets it.” They know I’m part of their community.
3. It met my communication preferences
   This message came as a simple text, letting me click on the link, watch it, and easily reply at my leisure. He didn’t send it as an email (that would be likely to get lost in the shuffle of my inbox), because he knows how busy I get and how many emails I receive. I might have eventually bothered to watch a video sent via email, but by then, it would have been an item on my to-do list, more like business, and the powerful immediacy would have been lost in that moment.
4. It honored how I like to be thanked and appreciated
   I’m not a person who likes a lot of overt thanks or praise. I don’t need or want a lot of recognition, especially if I’m actively involved with an organization. My friend knows this. Which is why he didn’t include a message with “Thank you for making these moments happen” language like he did to other donors. Instead, my friend took the time to send a message that fit my personality and how I like to be appreciated. I didn’t need him to tell me that I make these kinds of moments a reality. I watched that video and still felt extremely proud that I choose to support that organization.

Now, at this point you’re probably thinking: “Of course this touch point was great—it was sent to you by your close friend! He knows things about you!” And you’re not wrong. But there is no reason you can’t learn these things about your donors as well.

• Maybe you know a bit about their passions and interests, but have you ever asked the reason behind why they care?
• Do you know the reason behind their communication preferences, so you can tailor your communications based on what kind of response you’re hoping for?
• Have you ever asked your donors how they like to be thanked / appreciated for their support?

The next time you’re crafting a touch point for each of your donors, I encourage you to really reflect on what you know, and tailor the touch point to really meet all those individual preferences and details.

And if you don’t know your donors that well? I think you know what to do next!

Theresa