Building Authentic Relationships with Your Donors and Transform Your Communications
The Wisdom of WOC is a weekly advice column where the WOC Community can submit its questions about fundraising and philanthropy, and have them answered by our founder, Yolanda F. Johnson, and special guest editors from the WOC community.
From Our Mailbag
Q: Our founder, Yolanda F. Johnson, has always maintained that ‘Q1 is for stewardship.’ Really, that the entire year is, but the beginning of the year lends itself to take a break following year-end fundraising, to show donors how much you appreciate them. What have you found to be the most impactful ways to steward and build real, authentic and lasting relationships with supporters of an organization?
—Anonymous
A: In practice, I find Q1 provides many opportunities to open doors to new partnerships or expand and deepen existing relationships. It is an excellent time to get your audience excited about your organization, build enthusiasm in your supporters for the upcoming year’s work, and at the same time, demonstrate a sincere appreciation for all they contribute to your organization. I believe witnessing theory in action is one of the most powerful inspirations for donors, and Q1 is the perfect time to reach out to donors with messages of appreciation paired with stories of impact. A few ideas to engage your supporters around your work throughout Q1 can include:
Produce an interactive social media series that details the journey of your constituents using storytelling led by program participants.
Host a virtual Q&A with leadership to provide real-time updates about program strategies, successes, and areas for deeper investment in the year ahead.
Host a donor-appreciation learning workshop to deepen your supporters’ understanding of your key issues and thank them for their support.
Pair this outreach with personalized thank-you notes, impact videos, and recognition in newsletters or annual reports highlighting how donor support is critical to making this work possible. For example, a personalized email invitation to a workshop that also thanks the donor for their latest contribution is an authentic, attention-grabbing way to touch base with a current donor. The key is to ensure your supporters can see and feel the impact of your work, get excited about your mission, and at the same time know they are a key piece in the successful journey of your organization.
Q: We send out a monthly e-News and have the basic social media channels but don’t always see the engagement we’d like to see, and sometimes it feels like we’re just doing the same old thing. How can I lean into stronger marketing, e-communications and general development and donor communications strategies this year?
—Anonymous
A: With so much information coming at people in today’s media landscape, I believe it’s more important than ever to build a community with your audience. Engagement should go beyond cut-and-paste posts or periodic newsletters. It should get your audience excited about your mission while at the same time build a sense of real investment in your work.
While standard donor communication practices are essential—such as segmenting your audiences, developing a comprehensive engagement calendar, and maintaining a database of marketing and fundraising outreach—the most successful nonprofit organizations take a more strategic approach to donor communication. I find the key is to frame your outreach around a fundamental question: What journey are we taking our audience on?
As a board member for an arts organization, I assess our strategic communications with two questions: “Who does this work impact?” and “Why should I care?”. This framework ensures that our donor messaging is both mission-centered and audience-focused. We make it clear to our supporters that none of the incredible content they’re engaging with would be possible without them.
Through creative, authentic, and compelling content, you bring your audience into the work while highlighting how donor support makes it all possible. Post a series of interviews with board members or individual donors expressing why they support your organization. Share the story of a program participant through a social media or email campaign targeted to a specific donor segment. Highlight “Donors of the Month” in your newsletter. In building a real community with your audience, you inspire your supporters to go far beyond monetary support, to become true ambassadors for your organization and its mission.
This Week’s Expert
Helen N. Bryant
H. Bryant Consulting
Philanthropy & Strategic Partnerships Consultant
With more than 15 years of experience, Helen Bryant has served in the social impact sector across fields that include policy research and advocacy, grassroots organizing, international education, and environmental justice. Her focus on mission-driven strategic planning helps organizations align their fundraising and development goals with their broader social missions, ensuring that organizations have a clear roadmap to financial sustainability.
Currently, Helen serves as philanthropy and strategic partnerships consultant for clients ranging from national and state policy advocacy organizations to major universities and social impact start-ups. She works directly with her clients’ leadership to align organizational development strategies with comprehensive resource mobilization efforts. She provides expert guidance for cultivating and stewarding strong relationships among a range of philanthropic stakeholders. As an advanced technical writer, Helen also develops compelling content for donor-facing materials, including proposals and marketing communications.
Prior to launching her consulting practice, Helen served as a Director of Development at the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, and then with the Urban Institute, where she drove primarily (c)3 fundraising strategies for portfolios focused on securing resources for racial justice and equity initiatives and programming. Her efforts raised millions in funding for a range of programs and organizational capacity building that allowed these organizations to significantly expand and deepen their work.
Helen earned her Bachelor’s of Art degree in Archaeology and History at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She serves on the Board of Directors for Words Beats & Life, a Hip Hop education organization with decades of service in the Washington, DC. area. She is based in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Areas of Expertise
Equitable Philanthropic Practices
Intersectional Fundraising & Resource Mobilization
Career & Leadership Development
Got a Question?
Got a question about fundraising or philanthropy? Are you a woman of color non-profit professional with a question on career growth? Don’t be shy! We’ve got the answers. Send them our way.
