Don't ask till they tell

Stephanie spoke quite eloquently about the need to communicate with constituents on a consistent basis in her last post. I too have found that the more communication that occurs, the more effective the fundraising associated with it is. To those of us who are long time Annual Giving folks this is not exactly rocket science but it is amazing how often we find institutions putting the cart in front of the horse and soliciting gifts in the first or second email a constituent gets from them.

I would take this a step farther and suggest that there should be a established rule within your communications efforts regarding when solicitation via electronic communications should be initiated. To that end, I suggest at least the following structure - most of the following are best practice electronic address maintenance anyhow but are good steps:

• Only allow opt-in communications - folks who choose to be part of your lists are looking to hear from you and are offering you the chance to continue to communicate with them.
• If you have addresses that have not chosen to opt-in yet continue to provide them with communications providing them with the opportunity to do so but be mindful that these need to be creative and engaging - you are selling your communication stream to them and if you are seen as harassing rather than communicating, you will only sink the chances of getting what you want - their permission.
• Introduce yourself to new and renewed contacts via a welcome/welcome back stream of communications. In these messages lay out what you expect to tell them, when you expect to tell it to them and what is in it for them to allow you that access.
• Ask their opinion and provide opportunities for feedback - the 2.0 portion of the web has dramatically increased expectations that they will be asked rather than told. Use of survey tools is highly effective when mixed with outbound communications and text driven communication opportunities - provide them with the chance to email a person and share their opinions.
• Just like with a personal visit, asking for support should be a portion of the conversation but you probably don't want to lead with it. If someone is going to visit with you in your office to sell or ask you for something, they are probably not going to shake your hand and introduce them self and in the next breath ask for your gift - don't send a welcome message and a solicitation in the same manner.
• There is no magic time but I have found that three months of online engagement seems to be a comfortable period for folks. After hearing from you for three months a solicitation as a standalone message is acceptable form. That said, you may want to establish a schedule of some sort that works for your constituents to have a solicitation "in the can" for that purpose - just like the welcome message.

Success in online fundraising is like many of the other portions of engagement - it takes time, care and consideration to gain the trust of our constituents and donors and how you treat them will pay you back many fold down the line.