BIG's Blog: It's all about Me!

Do you create a dialogue with your constituent donors? Are your constituent donors' interests at the center of your communications? Are you giving the individual constituent donors the opportunity to support their passions? Do you use analytics to target the interests of these individuals?

Recently, a friend came to me with a fundraising letter that she received from an organization she supports. She was upset with the letter and its contents. She did not appreciate the contents of the package and asked, “Why is this organization wasting my money?” How many others have been asked this question?

FACT: Organizations need to communicate the importance of their mission. A constituent wants the organization to provide an opportunity to understand the need for their support. The question to ask is, “What does your organization do to make the constituent feel good about his/her support --of your mission?” Does your organization build a long-term relationship with your constituent donors in an effective way?

You may ask, “How do I do this?” Start with analytics. The organization needs to understand as much as possible about the constituent. Data can provide insight as to the constituent’s interests. Data patterns provide hidden opportunities for organizations. The inclusion of data analysis into the marketing strategy can improve the ROI for the organization.

As organizations move away from campaign-centric strategies to a constituent-centric strategy, the need for analytics will become an essential part of the marketing plan. An organization will need to review constituent responses created by the integration of new communication tools (i.e email, Facebook, Twitter) in order to build this marketing strategy. If the organization does not have the technical or analytical skills to acquire this data, they should budget for it. Don’t let these barriers hinder your relationship with your constituents.

Build your marketing plan around a constituent donor-centric interaction strategy instead of an organization (campaign)-centric strategy. Give the constituent’s what they want and everyone will be happy.

-Gail