3 Tips for Communicating About Money With Donors
Talking about money as a nonprofit organization can be tricky. That’s because, in most cases, they’re addressing two fundamentally different audiences. Where their work is designed to speak to the communities they serve—whether it’s underprivileged youth, unhoused neighbors, or families in need of support—their communications typically speak to the supporters who make that work possible.
When we’re communicating with donors, it can be easy to get stuck inside of a language that is not particularly authentic to us. As nonprofits, we’re often much more comfortable assisting with other people’s needs than we are communicating our own. Compared to the language of impact, the language of money can feel sterile, or worse, opportunistic.
It doesn’t have to be that way though.
Here are several best practices to sharpen your nonprofit organization’s communication strategies around money in ways that are both authentic and effective.
#1. Don’t just communicate when you need something
You don’t want to be the type of organization whose unofficial mascot is an open hand. In addition to asking for donations, make sure you’re also communicating successes, news, and recognition. Allow donors to see the positive impact of their giving. And whenever possible, make a point of sending them content that has value to them (effective donor personas can be a great way of planning this sort of content).
#2 Tell donors how your nonprofit plans to use their money
Money means nothing on its own. It’s just paper, and most of the time, it’s not even that—just abstract characters on a digital display. The important thing is what money stands for. In your communications, remember that donations aren’t dollars; they’re shoes for kids who spend their days outdoors, they’re mental health resources for individuals dealing with trauma, they’re shelter for the displaced.
You’re asking for money, but try to do so using the language of impact. After all, that’s what you’re best at, and it’s also what drew those donors to you in the first place.
#3 Share impact stories from your community
It’s one thing to tell your donors all the good things you’re doing with their money. It’s another thing to show them. There is no one more qualified to do this than the people your organization serves.
Depending on the nature of your work, it can sometimes be tricky to leverage things like photographs and quotes while still respecting your participants’ privacy, but if you are able to get adequate permission—even if the quote is anonymous—it makes a big impact on the way donor’s feel about their support.
Tough but worth it
As a nonprofit, communicating about money can be tricky. Just remember that you have a very good reason for doing it—arguably the best reason—and be sure to keep that reason in focus when you’re planning your communications, whether it’s for a campaign, a newsletter, or a social post.
Treat audiences as though they are partners in your mission and not just its funders, and watch how your engagement and support grow.
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