There was a 5.1% drop in donations to nonprofits from 2006 to 2007. With the economy facing a downturn and this being an election year, nonprofit organizations very well might see another drop in 2008. How can nonprofits proactively engage donor bases by using tools available online? At their workshop “Getting the most out of the community supporting your organization,” Vinnie Lauria and Kristine Molnar offered some suggestions to a packed room. It isn’t about money, they stressed. It’s about building relationships.

Firstly, they advocate putting an end to boring thank you emails. Molnar used a standard American Red Cross thank you note, which was bland and several apologizing to anyone in the audience who might be affiliated with the organization. “I’m sorry. Some of your emails are great. But this one sucked.” She suggested shorter emails with links that bring people back to the website to do cool things there. Many of those cool things include shedding some light on donors.

Speaking of emails, people don’t really care for e-mails. Or more clearly, quoting Seth Godin, Molnar suggested that people don’t want emails, they want me-mail. This is to say that donors want to see themselves mentioned in organizational correspondence. Feeding narcissism works; donors respond well to being recognized. The speakers suggested to reward user in a unique way, offering perfect “attendance awards” for consistent givers. Give awards to top 10% donors per year. Do member spotlights. Mention the donor accordingly and excited, reinvested, and enthused, they will very likely share links to the site (and opportunities to give) with their friends and family.

-Filed in Ideas