Did you know that 53% of donors lapse because of poor donor communication? Though social media usage has become pervasive among nonprofits, it is still used primarily for promotion. Those organizations who are utilizing networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to show authentic and personalized appreciation to supporters are reaping the benefits of increased engagement and donor loyalty.
This session will help you discover how to maximize your nonprofit’s social media accounts through thankfulness, instead of promotion. We will examine real-life examples of effective social media usage from organizations large and small, as well as the latest research into what works and what doesn’t.
Learning Outcomes:
Discover time-honored gift acknowledgement techniques that translate perfectly to social media
Learn how to formulate a relevant social content strategy for your organization
Understand data-driven best practices in timing, format and style of social posts across all networks
2. About Steven »
@StevenShattuck
Chief Engagement Officer, Bloomerang
Co-founder/ED, Launch Cause
Contributor: Fundraising Principles and
Practice: Second Edition
Member: Fundraising Effectiveness
Project (FEP) Project Work Group, AFP
Center for Fundraising Innovation (CFI)
Fun facts:
• 1st job: producing fundraising videos
• prefers tea to coffee
• allergic to rhubarb
• won the David Letterman scholarship
17. Donor Attrition Over Five Years
# of
Donors
Attrition
Rate
Donors
Remaining
After 1
Year
Donors
Remaining
After 2
Years
Donors
Remaining
After 3
Years
Donors
Remaining
After 4
Years
Donors
Remaining
After 5
Years
1,000 20% 800 640 512 410 328
1,000 40% 600 360 216 130 78
1,000 60% 400 160 64 26 10
So what?
@StevenShattuck
https://bloomerang.co/resources/guides/donor-retention-math-made-simple/
18. Donor retention math »
@StevenShattuck
https://bloomerang.co/resources/guides/donor-retention-math-made-simple/
20. Why nonprofit donors leave »
@StevenShattuck
http://www.campbellrinker.com/Managing_donor_defection.pdf
• 2001 study by
Adrian Sargeant
• Survey to lapsed donors of
10 major U.S.-based
nonprofits
• Respondents were asked to
check each reason for
stopping their contributions
21. • 5% - thought charity did not need them
• 8% - no info on how monies were used
• 9% - no memory of supporting
• 13% - never got thanked for donating
• 16% - death
• 18% - poor service or communication
• 36% - others more deserving
• 54% - could no longer afford
Why nonprofit donors leave »
@StevenShattuck
http://www.campbellrinker.com/Managing_donor_defection.pdf
23. @StevenShattuck
Key drivers of donor commitment »
• 2011 study
• Survey of 1,200 recent (last 12 months), frequent (more
than 2 gifts to cause based charities) donors from over
250 nonprofit organizations
• Donors were given a list of 32 reasons why they might
continue giving
• Asked to rank them by order of importance
http://www.thedonorvoice.com/national-donor-commitment-study-and-proof-of-link-between-donor-attitudes-and-behavior/
24. @StevenShattuck
Key drivers of donor commitment »
1. Donor perceives your organization to be effective in
trying to achieve its mission.
2. Donor knows what to expect from your organization with
each interaction.
3. Donor receives a timely thank you.
4. Donor receives opportunities to make his or her views
known.
5. Donor is given the feeling that he or she is part of an
important cause.
6. Donor feels his or her involvement is appreciated.
7. Donor receives information showing who is being helped.
http://www.thedonorvoice.com/national-donor-commitment-study-and-proof-of-link-between-donor-attitudes-and-behavior/
26. Why appreciation »
@StevenShattuck
• Appreciation boosts retention
• “Appreciation” posts get the
most engagement
• People like to put their
philanthropy on display
• Creates “FOMO” that
generates further action
27. @StevenShattuck
Anatomy of a sharer »
http://www.slideshare.net/socialogilvy/why-do-people-share-on-social-media-global-survey-results
28. Appreciation via social media »
• Use social media to publicly thank supporters!
‣ donors
‣ volunteers
‣ staff/board members
‣ other advocates/vendors
• Why?
‣ they will engage with/share the post
‣ increases visibility of future posts
@StevenShattuck
34. Appreciation »
@StevenShattuck
Volunteers are 10x
more likely to donate
to your charity than
non-volunteers!
http://www.fidelitycharitable.org/docs/
Volunteerism-Charitable-Giving-2009-
Executive-Summary.pdf
36. How to know who to thank? »
@StevenShattuck
• Look to see if you have interacted with this
person before
• Ask for Twitter username on donation form
• “Would you like to remain anonymous in
agency publications?” Yes/No
• Encourage donor to take the first step!
38. 1. Appreciation
2. Advocacy
3. Appeals
The “Three As” »
@StevenShattuck
Gets the most engagement!
https://blog.bufferapp.com/facebook-news-feed-algorithm
39. Facebook algorithm factors »
• Posts with lots of comments
• Posts with lots of likes
• Post types that users seem to prefer more than
others (e.g., photo, video, or status update)
• Posts that receive a high volume of likes, comments,
or shares in a short time
• Posts that tag other pages within the text
• Posts that are liked or commented on by one’s friends
• Posts from pages that one interacts with often
@StevenShattuck
40. Appreciation opportunities »
• Volunteers on-site
• Unique donation
• A major gift
• In-kind help from a for-profit vendor/sponsor
• P2P fundraiser milestones
@StevenShattuck
41. Appreciation - do’s and don’ts »
• Look for opportunities to show appreciation
• Make it easy for donors to talk about their giving
• from the brand + from employees
• Get the donor/volunteer’s permission
• Make thank you’s visual
• Never an untagged post
• Track donor’s social media accounts in database
@StevenShattuck
44. @StevenShattuck
Key drivers of donor commitment »
1. Donor perceives your organization to be effective
in trying to achieve its mission.
2. Donor knows what to expect from your
organization with each interaction.
3. Donor receives timely a thank you.
4. Donor receives opportunities to make his or her
views known.
5. Donor is given the feeling that he or she is part of
an important cause.
6. Donor feels his or her involvement is appreciated.
7. Donor receives information showing who is being helped.
51. Advocacy tips »
• Think like a journalist
• Keep your cell phone (camera) with you
• Tell others to keep an eye out
• Highlight service recipients and employees
@StevenShattuck
53. Appeals »
• Use social media to ask for help!
‣ be visual
‣ be specific
‣ give specific action steps
• Involve others!
‣ identify influencers
‣ make it fun
@StevenShattuck
61. • Facebook: when you have something to say
• Twitter: when you have something to say
• Instagram: when you have something to say
• LinkedIn: when you have something to say
How often should you post? »
@StevenShattuck
http://nonprofithub.org/social-media/ultimate-nonprofit-social-media-scheduling-guide/
62. Keys to success »
• Balance: avoid too much self-promotion
• Visual: photos/videos perform very well
• Be personal: address people individually (tag them)
• Ask: permission before publicly acknowledging gifts
• you don’t have to divulge gift amount!
• Track: supporter social media accounts in your database
• Teamwork: get your employees to create/share content
• Measure and adjust: don’t post what hasn’t worked!
@StevenShattuck