Meeting with a new donor can be a nerve wracking experience. As always, preparation can help you knock your next donor meeting out of the park. Follow the tips and tricks below to have the best meeting possible.
Do Your Research!
Be sure to browse the organization your donor comes from. Their website is a great place to start for some basic facts and figures - this will be important to give you a baseline understanding. Check out any social media pages for more up to date information and recent initiatives the organization might be implementing. You can use Linkedin to get more information on any single organization or donor as well.
Come with Questions!
You want to be sure the donor's priorities and your organization's are a good fit. Do they have any stipulations for the donation? What about how much contact they'd like to have as their gift gets to work in your organization? This meeting is a great opportunity to get on the same page with the new donor, and see if there are other areas of the organization they'd like to be involved in, as a potential board member or volunteer.
Bring Facts that Inspire!
Make sure your donor understands just how important their gift is, and what it will be going to. Don't just give surface level metrics, like how many people your nonprofit serves, but what are the outcomes of their time with you? Increases in reading ability? More acres of land saved than in previous years? Demonstrated increases in personal autonomy or savings behavior? Whatever it is, make sure your donor truly understands the great work your organization does.
Send a Thank You!
Whether or not you hear from the donor again, always be sure to send a thank you note to them for sharing their time with you. This illustration of gratitude can be done through a handwritten note, email, flowers, or personalized video. Whatever your organization currently does, try and review its success rate - there could be an opportunity to change things up for better results!
We hope this post gets you completely ready for your next donor meeting. Looking for more donor-related and fundraising help? Learn more on our online trainings page for workshops on fundraising, communications, and much much more!
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