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Why I Feel Donor Remorse and How You Can Fix it
I donate.
Not because fundraising is my business but, rather, because it’s part of “who I am”. It’s part of my religion. And, it’s part of my upbringing. It’s something I just do.
Not a lot. I’m not a major donor. The biggest check I wrote this year was $1,000. Mostly I like to give small amounts (by my measure) to lots of organizations.
Thanks to my habit, practice, tradition, routine or whatever else you want to call it… I get to see how lots of organizations treat their donors (including me). And, sadly, I think that treatment is pretty poor— leading to “donor remorse”.
Donor remorse is really very similar to buyer’s remorse. It’s a feeling of regret after having made a purchase (or, in the case of fundraising, a donation).
Why do I feel donor remorse?
- Because the “thank you” I got was disingenuous, mass-generated, and downright cold
- Because the organization never told me what they did with my money and if they did, it included facts and figures absent any emotion or a simple, powerful story
- Because the organization didn’t offer me an opportunity to engage with their mission in a meaningful way
- And most of all, because they asked me for more money several times after my gift without doing 1 thru 3 above
How can you fix donor remorse? With “3-to-1 Fundraising!” If you missed the post about that, check it out here.
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Feeling like your job is getting harder because donor expectations have changed and competition for the charitable dollar is growing?
Finding that the old orthodoxies and conventions espoused by so-called experts in online echo-chambers and at conferences don’t work anymore?
Want to help more people make impact by facilitating their acts of philanthropy but feel like too many obstacles keep getting in your way?
Then this book is for you.
Engagement Fundraising was developed from the perspective of a donor who discovered firsthand that the impersonal, spray-and-pray approaches of his beloved charity were not only offensive but also wasteful and ineffective. So he took action. And now, you can too.
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Another GREAT one!
Another GREAT one!
[…] For first-time donors, a prompt and personal thank-you helps reassure them. It makes them think, “Yes, I did the right thing,”—and wards off donor remorse. […]