Donor Outreach Strategy for NPOs [Video]

How successful is your NPO donor outreach strategy for 2022? Donor outreach is a perpetual hot topic for executives, and it’s vital to be proactive when looking for donor investment opportunities that will create the biggest impact. Watch today’s Monday Money Moments (and skim the transcript below) to learn the four key strategies to hit the refresh button on your NPO this year.

Dana Miller (00:01): Hello, welcome to Monday Money Moments with myself, your host, Dana Miller from Executive Financial Insights. Today, we are talking about tapping into what I call staying on top of your financial donor outreach, and really taking advantage of some of the low hanging fruit that’s out there to help your organization stay in front of all the financial opportunities that are available for you.

1. Send Your Information to Guide Star and Charity Navigator

(00:34): Naturally you want to keep in front of your donor pipeline. You want to keep them informed and humming, right? Keep them happy with you.

And here, just understand that there are places where donors, investors, go looking for information about your organization, such as Guide Star and Charity Navigator.

Another local nonprofit association for Colorado is the Colorado Nonprofit Association. Also, if you want to get involved with Giving Tuesday, which is national, or the local for Colorado is the Colorado Gives Day. And a lot of your information about your organization would go up on those places’ websites as well.

2. Publish an Annual Report

(01:21): So, what can you do proactively to put your best foot forward for all of these people that are out in the universe, looking for places to put their money to make the best impact on the world?

The first thing you can do is an annual report, and in your annual report you want to do metrics. In those metrics, you’re going to do two things. You’re going to do outcomes and outputs:

• How many people did you serve?
• And what was the result of that service?
• How did their lives get better? How did the world get better?

Because of what you did, this is your time to shine. Put it out there: colors; charts; a little bit of language. Do not do huge narratives because people won’t necessarily read all of it. They might read some of it, so just be aware of that.

3. Publish Your Audit

(02:21): Also publish your audit. You’re going to be audited anyway, and it’s a public document.

Put it up on your website again. It helps your donors. It gives your donors a little bit of confidence in your organization. It’s you being proactive.

Also send your audit, your annual report, and your 990 over to both Guide Star and Charity Navigator. They’re going to have access to information anyway, and they’re going to be putting some of your metrics up for you.

You might as well get in front of it and put your best foot forward! Put your 990, your tax return, out on your website. Again, being proactive and transparent.

4. Publish a ‘State of the Organization’ Video

 (03:03): Another opportunity for you is to do a communication from the executive director, the CEO, about how well your company is doing, how well you did last year, and what you’re planning on for this year.

Put up photos. People love stories. People love to connect with what you are doing, so give them that connection.

Then put up what your plans are for this year, and what your specific asks are of your donors this year, such as what your big goals are and what you need help with.

You can say you need help financially, or you just need help with goods. And ‘here’s my list of all the things that we might need,’ whatever it is.

Find ways for people to continue to support you and all the good things you are doing.

(03:59): If you need some help, or you would like some assistance pulling together this information, deciphering it, and determining in the plethora of data that you have, what would be best to put up, give me a ring. I’ll help you through it. Check me out at www.executivefinancialinsights.com. Thank you.