Nonprofits worry about cost all the time. From board members to staff members, everybody’s focused on “cost”. For some organizations the only inviolate rule is “Don’t spend money.”
While everyone’s eyes are fixed on every minor expenditure, the real “cost” goes unnoticed. “What’s that?”, you say.
Principle 6 of The Eight Principles® is Divide & Grow™. Simply stated, it’s that you treat different donors differently. You don’t make the same appeal to different donors in the same way. You don’t thank every donor in the same way. You respond to the specific needs of individual donors.
When you send a blanket solicitation without regard to interest or ability, you’re (literally) throwing money out the window. Asking $100 from everyone tells the $25 donor they’re not important and the $500 donor that you don’t need them.
Sending the hand-written thank-you to the $30 donor is a great idea but it’s probably costing you more than $30 to get it sent. Sending the pre-printed post card to acknowledge a gift of $500 will almost certainly result in you never getting another from that donor.
Sending a solicitation seeking support for food support to a donor whose interest and passion is in housing for the homeless will net a gift much lower than you might expect—if at all.
Get the idea?
Now add on the cost of hassle. Each time you annoy—yes annoy—your supporters with a poorly directed message or browbeat them with repeated urgent calls for help, you erode the trust and confidence those supporters have in you.
Think you can’t measure these costs? Think again. Once you’ve run the numbers you’ll discover that these costs are FAR HIGHER than the box of copy paper everyone is obsessing about.
Find out what your fundraising is REALLY costing now. Once you know, you’ll spend less and raise more!
