Many nonprofits devote a ton of time to thinking about their donation experience.
They perfect the look and feel of every button. They debate every phrase until it’s just right. They meticulously crop each photo until it’s the ideal size to complement the space it’s in.
And that’s great. Your donation process is incredibly important. A strong donation process likely means more funds to help you do important work in your community.
But what happens after a donor gives? What do they see right after they’ve decided to become a donor? Oftentimes, this moment is actually pretty anticlimactic.
The Importance of a Post-Donation Experience
Many post-donation experiences include a thank you page with some text of appreciation and a note to check your email for a tax receipt.
But your donors deserve so much more. Your post-donation experience should excite them. It should totally immerse them in the world of your nonprofit. It should instantly align them with you and your community. It should make them feel like a part of something much bigger than themselves.
It should make them feel thrilled to have just given to your cause.
How to Improve Your Post-Donation Experience
Ready to thrill your donors? Here are some tips to boost that post-donation experience of yours.
Showcase the Problem They’re Solving
It’s okay to break their hearts a little. Remind them of what you’re up against. Show them the need they’re addressing with photos and videos from the communities you serve.
But, after you’ve established the problem…
Inspire Hope by Sharing the Work Donors Have Enabled
Show donors they’re part of the solution.
They literally just finished giving to do some sort of good. Show them examples of the good past donors have done. Show videos and photos of your organization making a difference in the field.
Make them feel like they’ve just made a difference in the world. Because they have.
Share Stories from Community Members
Let those from the community you serve tell their own stories. Share stories of how your organization is improving their lives. Use photos. Use videos. Use first-person written accounts.
But keep these short. A bunch of short, poignant stories will be more moving than a long-winded, rambling one.
Invite Donors to Connect in Multiple Ways
Give your donors the option to connect with your organization in multiple ways.
Perhaps it’s by sharing your various social media accounts and prompting them to connect. Or maybe it’s with a newsletter signup (bonus points if you give them the option to choose topics to match their interests and segment your email list).
Give them choices so they can pick the method that feels right to them.
Set Expectations Around Follow Up
Tell your donors when they can expect to hear from you.
Will you be sharing updates from the field? Will you be showing them all the good they’re empowering your organization to do? Will these be via email? Or on Twitter? Or maybe on your blog?
Set their expectations about the updates you’ll send them and when they can expect to hear from you. And then, of course, do what you say you will.
Promote Social Sharing
Give your donors a metaphorical megaphone and let them shout from the social media rooftops that they support your nonprofit!
Use a tool like AddThis or ShareThis to allow donors to share their support for your nonprofit.
You can even put in a default message so your donors can share a pre-written Tweet or Facebook Post. But of course they can customize it if they’d prefer.
Make It Personal
Above all else, whatever you decide is right for your organization, make your post-donation process personal. It should be uniquely tailored to your nonprofit.
Cut the canned content. Scrap all the “Thank you so much for contributing to our cause. Your donation is very much appreciated. Your tax receipt should be in your inbox. Goodbye.”
Make it special. Make it stand out. Make it memorable.
Have you come across any stellar post-donation experiences out there on the interwebs? Or do you have any tips to add to help make an incredible post-donation experience? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
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