I admit to being a bit of a quiet person. No, not in my personal life where I am sometimes loud and boisterous (no, really?)! I am talking about how as CEO of a non-profit, I communicate with our donors. I always want to err on the side of "under communication," and usually make no apology for it.
Why? Mostly my own personal predilection and bias. I don't want newsletters or appeal letters filling up my mailboxes, so I just don't use that strategy. In fact, in most instances, I don't even read what's sent to me. No surprise, since according to a recent study in the UK, 55% of respondents don't want non-profits to communicate with them at all!
So does this "under" communication strategy work for us? Probably not. Yet I am learning that people are not just turned off from "over" communication, what they really don't like is bad communication! In reality, good fund development is all about good relationship development. If I have their interests and desires at heart, wouldn't people want to hear about what we are saying? Of course.
Despite saying that they don't want to hear from us, people substantially value non-profits, especially in America. Poll after poll shows that almost everyone appreciate the role they can play in our lives and in our countries. So why say they don't want to hear from us? The answer comes back to getting the right information in front of the right people. It is called vision casting. Good vision communication never hurts donor loyalty, in fact it greatly assists it.
What I need to do (what all non-profits need to do) is rather than telling our donor communities what I want to say (or even what I think they want to hear), focus instead on addressing the questions to which they actually want to hear answers.
And what, pray tell, are those questions? Ah, for that, you have to ask your community; which, of course, leads to stronger relationship -- and more communication!
What are your experiences?
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