Are You Communicating or Connecting?
In today’s world of 24 hour news on multiple television channels, constant broadcasting of posts and videos on various social media platforms, and an onslaught of emails arriving in inboxes, everyone is trying to communicate something. There has never been a time like this when so much is said, while so little is actually heard. The best communication in any sector, but especially in the nonprofit sector, informs and more importantly makes you feel something. Noted writer Maya Angelou said it best, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” The true purpose of any nonprofit communication should be to simultaneously evoke emotion and make the audience sense as though they are part of a movement that will define their legacy. Doing this involves three key strategies:
1. Connect Your Audience To What Matters
Great sportscasters like Howie Long and the late Merlin Olsen demonstrate how to engage an audience with whom they cannot directly connect – the television viewer. Their expert knowledge as former players of the game provides insights on why the play was done, how it matters for each team, and what it means in the context of the game. This is insider communication that makes you feel as though you are on the field determining the plays. The play by play model of some commentators just provides an audio version of the visual play that you have likely just witnessed without adding in layers or expertise that increases your interest.
Nonprofit communication is often too similar to the play by play. There may be facts or needs that are described or even a story of someone whose life was transformed. While those are important and provide some insight, they do not connect the donor to the mission and why it should matter to them. Make your conversation with your audience a dialogue not just information sent out. If your communication cannot evoke passion in a prospective donor, then you just have apathy. Apathy like a channel surfer who clicks away during the commentary has no real stake in the game.
2. Personalize Your Efforts
Because philanthropy reflects the beliefs and values of the prospective donor, it is highly personal. In our digital age, personalization is as easy as a mail merge in word processing software or a merge tag on a platform. Not using these tools signals to your donors that you do not think they are worth your time. Even worse is the Dear Friend. How can someone be your friend, if they do not even know your name? Using a donor’s preferred name makes your donors feel as though you care as much about them as the cause.
When you are communicating in a generic way that makes every person in your audience feel interchangeable, it sends the message that you care more about making a fundraising transaction than building a relationship. Knowing what matters to your audience and acknowledging it is critical. I love to gather information about life milestones like birthdays, anniversaries, children’s birthdays, etc. Many years ago, I reached out to a lapsed donor on his anniversary even though his wife had died just to wish him a happy anniversary. My colleagues thought it was the wrong time, but I knew that he was likely feeling alone and that most people would not reach out for the same reasons that my colleagues would not. He was so excited that someone had remembered and thought it was worth the acknowledgement even without his longtime spouse. I had no expectation for a gift; I truly just wanted him to have a good day, in spite of what was likely bittersweet. The next week, a check arrived with a lovely note about how much he appreciated the recognition. At the end of the day, we all want someone to personally make us feel special.
3. Share Who You Are
Spoiler alert! While I work in philanthropy, I rarely communicate in the philanthropy jargon. I would much rather talk to you about how it connects to what matters to the vast majority of the South come Fall – football! Those stylistic choices reflect my unique perspective and distinguish Fullanthropy.
People engage with people that they know, like, and trust. Getting that engagement requires you to be authentically yourself. Your fans are interested in your cause in large part because of you! When you share your personal connection to the cause and why you became involved, you are pulling them into part of your story and connecting them to what is special to you. Your personal connection to the cause — why you answered your particular calling, what it has cost you, what it has given you — is not a distraction but a direct path into what matters.
Taylor Swift is an example of a celebrity who used authenticity to build a fan base all over the world. While she is a talented musician, she is not the most fabulous vocalist nor does she have dazzling choreography like many artists. She does, however, write powerful songs that share her personality and experiences to her fans in her own voice. In doing that coupled with instances of genuine outreach to fans in need, she has made millions of people feel that she was talking directly to them. Your donors want to feel authentically connected to what you are doing.
When you make an effort in your communication to follow these three strategies, your audience ceases to be just an audience. They begin to feel connected to your organization and form a community with a genuine commitment in your mission. Howie Long would tell you that his audience is not sitting by their television on Sunday afternoon merely to watch a football game — they are there to be part of the millions for whom football creates a common thread and a lasting community. Your donors are waiting for exactly that same experience from your organization. How are you building that community for them?
Fullanthropy Perspective:
Although every nonprofit communicates, not every nonprofit connects. The difference between the two is not budget, staff size, or the sophistication of your email platform. It is the intentional choice to treat every touchpoint with your audience as an opportunity to make someone feel genuinely valued rather than efficiently processed.
The CLAIM Your Legacy™ framework identifies Connection as a cornerstone of the C pillar precisely because communication without connection is simply noise. In a world already drowning in noise, your donors need a reason to hear you not just more noise.
Ready to build that connection? Chart Your Impact™.