Latest / The Nonprofit Podcast / Ep 219| Stop guessing: What donors REALLY want before year-end

Transcript

Ep 219| Stop guessing: What donors REALLY want before year-end · The Nonprofit Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: What if the secret to fixing your messaging, boosting your volunteer culture, and deepening donor trust is already sitting in your supporters' heads, just waiting for you to ask.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: Ever wonder what your donors are actually thinking about your organization when you're not in the room?
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_01: A simple donor survey is the closest thing you will get to reading their minds, but the answers you get are rarely what you expect.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: Today we are pulling back the curtain on donor surveys and sharing three surprising takeaways.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: The Nonprofit Podcast, powered by DonorBox.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Jenna Lynch, head of community engagement here at DonorBox.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: Each week we bring you practical strategies, clear insights, and inspiration to help you raise more, reach further, and take your nonprofit to the next level.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: Today I am joined by my co-host, our resident on the ground practitioner and the president and CEO over at Grace Care Center Foundation, Kara Augsburger.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_01: Hey Kara, how are things over in your world today?
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_02: Hey Jenna, things are good.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_02: And apparently I decided that summer was the perfect time to ask hundreds of our donors what they really think about us.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, it was a fun little project to add to the list.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, obviously because your calendar was just way too open and you were just looking for extra projects, right?
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but okay, timing-wise, doing this in August or September, I think is really so smart.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: Every nonprofit leader listening is starting to sweat, I think, about the year-end giving season and giving Tuesday.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_01: And we spend weeks drafting our appeals and designing campaign pages.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: But I think we rarely stop to ask is this message actually going to land with our audience, land with our supporters?
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: So I would love for you to walk me through this in real time.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, first, what made you pull the trigger on sending a survey out to your donors right now instead of during that full fall push?
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_02: You know, honestly, it was just part of realizing how much we assume we know about our donors.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_02: We've grown a lot at Grace Care Center, our programs have grown, our fundraising has grown, and we've been doing a lot of strategic planning around where we're headed next.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_02: And I found myself asking, do our donors actually understand what we're trying to do?
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_02: Why do they give?
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_02: What keeps them connected?
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_02: And what do they want more from us?
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_02: So we want to better understand our donors' journeys.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_02: Like, why did they start giving?
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_02: Why do they continue?
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_02: And so as a fundraiser, I can look at that data in our database and tell you, you know, who gave, how much they gave, when they gave, but the database can't tell me why they give, why they gave.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_02: And so we decided to ask and we chose now because we wanted to make sure that our messaging in the fall and towards our year end is something that's going to resonate with them.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_02: And then we also didn't want to burden their inboxes with a survey on top of an ask and on top of some impact and and all the things that are coming in the next couple months.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: That makes so much sense.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I think now is the perfect time for this type of stewardship and letting your donors know that you are listening and thinking of them.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, okay, before we get into the results, even, I would love for you to talk me through the actual mechanics because I think this is kind of where a lot of organizations can get that analysis paralysis.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: How to even start it, you know, how long was your survey?
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: What platform did you use?
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: And um, even how did so you said, you know, inboxes start to get full and inundated with all these other campaigns.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: How did you even frame the email subject line so people did not just delete the email and move on?
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: So give me all the details.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: Give me everything you got.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_02: Sure, I will do my best.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_02: So uh we tried really hard not to make it feel like homework.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_02: We wanted it to feel like, hey, you're important to us.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_02: We really want to know what you think.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_02: We segmented our donors, which ended up being really important.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_02: We looked at everyone from newer donors and monthly donors to some of our longest-term and most generous supporters.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because I don't necessarily want one giant average answer.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_02: I wanted to know whether different kinds of donors were experiencing us differently and how that impacted their journey with us.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_02: So we built an anonymous survey and it was truly anonymous.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_02: There's a feature we used Monday.com and there is a feature in there to make it anonymous.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_02: And then we deployed it through email.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_02: I sent it only twice in about three weeks, but I got a really good response.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_02: And I tried to limit every segment to eight questions or less.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_02: And so in my cover email, I promised it would take them two to five minutes.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_02: I really wanted to hold true to that.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_02: My first send, my email subject was like, hey, do you have two minutes to give us your feedback?
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_02: And then the second follow-up email, the subject line was, you know, survey ends on Saturday.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_02: Please give your feedback now.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_02: So it was pretty clear in the subject line what I was asking.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: I think that was really good.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the survey itself, we asked a mix of really practical questions and some open-ended questions.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_02: And those open-ended questions ended up being some of the most valuable ones.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um, like I said, the the results were anonymous, um, but we did have specific data by segment.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_02: So now I can analyze everything as a group.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_02: So that's kind of like how we deployed it.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: I think capping it under eight questions, keeping it just a couple of minutes is just such a smart move.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: I think naturally, uh, especially if this is the first time nonprofits are sending out a donor survey to their supporters, they want to know all the things and they want to ask a million questions.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it can be really hard to have a little bit of restraint and uh pick and choose, you like you said, some really practical questions, open-ended questions, and really limit it.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, I think segmenting is so, so important.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: We talk about this endlessly on the show because a first-time donor has a completely different lens than a 10-year donor or a monthly donor.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and so, you know, speaking directly to them makes a lot of sense.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: Could you give me a few examples of um some of the questions that you asked?
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_02: I have my surveys pulled up here so I can see them too.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_02: But one question we asked every single segment, and this was really important to us, is what first introduced you to Grace Care Center?
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_02: And we gave it was uh single choice.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_02: And honestly, most of them said they learned about it through their church.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_02: So that really helped us um know that when we want to promote volunteerism or whatever, we need to go to some different churches.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe we have a luncheon learn, or we're able to talk a little bit about poverty in our community through churches and get people to volunteer that way.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_02: So that was really eye-opening.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um, one question that we asked our biggest donors that was really, really helpful was we said, was there anything that makes our organization extra trustworthy, in your opinion?
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_02: And so that was an open-ended response.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_02: And that was very helpful as well.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we offer a number of programs.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_02: So we offer a food pantry and we offer some one-on-one financial coaching, car care services, things like that.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_02: So um I did say when you support Grace Care Center, what kinds of impacts are you most excited to make?
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: And then they selected from that list what's more important to them, whether it's healthy food or becoming financially stable or English class and what we're gonna use with that information is that's gonna help us shape the stories that we tell.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_02: We know what people are interested in.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_02: We also um were able to tell what they don't know very much about.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_02: So maybe we could do a better job of explaining those programs.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I think uh as a nonprofit, thinking about the types of questions that they want to ask, it's really important, as you said, to let folks have those open-ended questions, give them freedom to answer those, but also connect some of these questions to the programs that you may be rolling out or initiatives that you're looking to accomplish.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: So, uh, what other surprises uh did you see in these responses?
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: I know there were a few.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, there were definitely a few surprises.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_02: So, like I mentioned, number one was a massive reality check for me.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_02: It your best donors may not understand the organization as well as you think.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_02: So I know I live and breathe our mission every day, our staff does.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_02: We know program details, line items, acronyms.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_02: So you naturally assume that your donors, especially those who've been supporting your campaigns for years, totally get what you do.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_02: But as these responses came rolling in, I saw descriptions of our work and feedback on our programs that really caught me off guard.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_02: So, under not realizing that not everyone understands things as well as I do was really eye-opening.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I say this often.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: The thousand-foot view your donors have of your organization is often so helpful.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: So you're telling me dedicated long-term supporters are seeing your work from a completely different angle than you expected.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: Is that right?
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_02: I and I think that was probably the biggest.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, wait a minute, moment for me.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_02: Some of our most generous donors love Grace Care Center.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_02: They trust us, they believe in what we're doing.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_02: And oftentimes they see it firsthand every week or multiple times a week when they're here volunteering.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_02: Their commitment is so strong, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they could explain our model.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we're known for our food pantry.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_02: It's a huge part of what we do, but we're really trying to help families move from that point of crisis towards greater stability and then financial independence.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_02: So that includes food, but it also includes financial coaching and transportation, English classes, all the things that address those barriers underneath the immediate need.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_02: And some of our survey responses made me realize we've been telling ourselves that story much more clearly than we've been telling our donors that story.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_02: And that is an important distinction in my mind.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_02: So better clarifying the programs, you know, clear is kind.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_02: And we really need to do a better job of that.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: Clear is kind.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: And and I think that's so fascinating.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but honestly, I get how that happens.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's that classic, like I said, like curse of knowledge.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: You are inside the building and you think because you're putting something in an impact report on a web page, um, you know, that everybody understood it, they registered it.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_01: But in reality, donors are skimming, right?
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: They catch the headlines, they absorb the feelings, they remember whatever touched them, um, you know, in the moment that they made a donation or they were reading through a newsletter.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I see this all the time with organizations too.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: We speak with internal jargon or program titles that mean everything to our staff, but to an outside supporter, uh, it can sound like alphabet soup too.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: So um hearing all this feedback in real time, what was your knee-jerk reaction as a CEO?
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: What do you do with that information?
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, my first reaction was this is not a donor problem.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_02: Clearly, it's not their problem.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_02: This is a communication problem from our end.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_02: If someone has supported us faithfully for years, but still doesn't completely understand how all the pieces fit together, you know, I can't say, well, I've told them and leave it.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_02: Clearly, we haven't told them in a way that stuck.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_02: So now I'm looking at everything differently, like our website, our donor communications, even when I give in-person tours, the way I introduce Grace Care Center to somebody who's never even heard of us.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think the lesson for me is simple be simpler.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_02: Simple, simple, simple, clear.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_02: We don't need our donors to memorize our programs.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_02: We just need them to understand the big idea.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_02: You know, at Grace Care Center, the food is the first step, but we want to help people move toward that lasting stability and change.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_02: If if I think I can get that message through nice and clear, that's repeatable, that's memorable, they could share that with their neighbors and their friends when they invite them to come alongside them.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, yeah, just be real clear and real simple.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_02: And I think I've just been trying to blow things, um, just making things way more complex through my writing.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_02: So that was that's an easy fix for me, I think.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, that's such a good lesson.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: And you had mentioned earlier another surprise that really struck you when looking through your donor survey responses was the feedback on the volunteer experience.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: Can you share a little bit more about that?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I know with your volunteer background that that's really important.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_02: And I think I didn't necessarily come to the donor journey through the volunteer experience myself.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_02: So I didn't have that lens.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_02: But what was very, very clear in the survey is that the volunteer experience and the donor experience are way more connected than I ever realized.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_02: And I think it's true for a lot of nonprofits.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_02: The volunteer team sits in one corner of the building doing their thing, and the development team sits in another room working on campaigns and appeals and all the things.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_02: And we treat them like two totally different silos.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_02: But looking at these answers from this survey, it's so clear that a supporter's willingness to stay engaged and give financially, you know, from their hard-earned money is directly tied to their experience of the whole organization.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_02: And that includes volunteerism and how they were treated when they're in the building.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_02: We talk a lot about building trust with the people who are coming to us for care, but just as valuable as the trust that our volunteers and our supporters have into it.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_02: So this one really got my attention in particular because so many of our donors are also volunteers.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_02: And we had donors use the survey to talk about all of these things that they were noticing, like volunteer onboarding and communication and signage.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_02: And remember, this was a donor survey.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_02: I asked no questions about volunteerism, nothing specific about that.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_02: And so that was a big light bulb.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_02: They don't separate those experiences the way that we do internally.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_02: They don't think, well, that's a volunteer department issue and this is a fundraising issue.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_02: To them, it's all Grace Care Center.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_02: And some people have come to know us because they volunteered first, and that shaped their perception of the organization before we ever ask them for a gift.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_02: So if we're talking about donor retention and donor trust, we have to care about every single touch point that person has with the organization, not just what comes out of the development office, right?
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: You're so right.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: This one hits so close to home for me as a former volunteer manager.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_01: I cannot tell you how many times I saw that exact disconnect.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_01: Now, for me, um, it was interesting because they were actually separate departments.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: The volunteer program lived in the museum department and then development was development, right?
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, volunteer teams and development teams are so often working in total silos, even if they are technically under the same department.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: But as a supporter, if I come in to volunteer for two hours on a Saturday and the onboarding is disorganized or felt like a waste of time, if nobody greets me when I come in to sign in, um, if I'm just standing around feeling useless, I may assume that the whole operation is run that way because I came in and I didn't feel acknowledged, valued, or just didn't have a the experience that I was expecting.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, supporters do not see volunteer coordination, as you said, right?
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_01: Or individual giving as those separate line items in an organizational chart.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: And they really are.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: As you said, just one organization.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it's really interesting that you got that feedback specifically when you sent it to your donors and not exclusively your volunteers, although they can be both.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, exactly.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and and I agree, if that front door feels clunky, they assume that back office is clunky too, and it just dissolves trust.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_02: And the trust is so, so important to a nonprofit.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it reframes the way that we're gonna look at volunteer touch points.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_02: I really think long term it's gonna fix donor retention.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_02: And so the best place to start is fixing the welcome and how people feel and making sure that our volunteers and our shift leads are making the people feel valued.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_02: It it's just all encompassing.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_02: It's so simple and so basic, yet it was so eye-opening to me.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that is huge.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_02: Surprise number three.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_02: What was that for you?
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, so number three might be my favorite.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_02: Sometimes the most valuable survey answers are the questions you didn't ask.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_02: So we put a couple of simple open-ended text fields at the very end of the survey, just some basic stuff like, is there anything else on your mind that you'd like to share with us?
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_02: And that was absolute gold.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_02: It was really cool because people told us things that we didn't even know to ask.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_02: We obviously had people comment on the volunteer culture.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_02: We heard concerns about um protecting the things that make Grace Care Center special, especially in a time of growth.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_02: People talked about wanting more stories, more videos, more impact data.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_02: We even had questions about whether some of the things we're doing fit the mission.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_02: And I love that because I mean, honestly, some of those things weren't very easy to hear, but I loved it because people cared enough to tell us and they trusted that this would be a safe place to do that.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_02: Those open-ended responses never would have made their way to my desk otherwise.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_02: And now we can actually do something with them.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the fact that people did bring up wanting to protect the culture while the organization grows, um, asking for more of those behind-the-scenes videos and impact data, I think that's really special.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, I think it's interesting you said that was kind of tough to read, but I don't think that they're criticizing.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: That's a sign that they're leaning in.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: So if organizations send out donor surveys and get this type of feedback, I think that's a true indicator that folks really, really care.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: And that's amazing.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_01: And this is why I get so passionate about telling people to send surveys.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_01: I think nonprofits spend so much time worrying about, oh, you know, what if we annoy them?
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: What if they think we're asking too much of their time?
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: But donors really want to be heard.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: They are sitting on all these ideas and observations and feelings.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_01: And when you ask for their opinion, it completely transforms the relationship right in front of you.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so for anyone listening who may feel intimidated by sending a survey, you do not need to blast an entire database at once.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: Do what Kara did.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: You can segment it, maybe test one segment at a time, send that short survey to your new donors from the last six months or a slightly different one to your long-term recurring supporters.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_01: And by the way, donor box can help you pull those segmented lists so fast.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_01: Our donor management tools make it so easy to sort donors by campaign, and our reporting templates make pulling new donor reports super quick and simple as well.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a good place to start.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think we can get nervous about asking our donors for one more thing, like we're already asking them to give, attend events, open our emails, but asking for their opinion is different.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_02: It's saying, you know, you're a part of this, your experience matters, help us get better.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_02: I had a mentor share with me one time, he said, Ask people for money and you get advice.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_02: Ask people for advice and you get money.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, but seriously, the depth of some of the responses told me that people did want that opportunity.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_02: They weren't just checking boxes, they were thinking about Grace Care Center and giving us thoughtful feedback because they care about where we're headed.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_02: And now it's up to us to do something with it that's really gonna make a big difference.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: These are really great insights.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_01: So if someone is listening on their commute right now and wants to launch a donor survey next week or, you know, before October, what would you say are three practical actions they should take based on what you're doing?
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_02: So three things.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_02: First, don't overcomplicate it.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_02: You don't need the perfect donor research project.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_02: Pick the questions you genuinely wish you knew the answers to and start there.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_02: Second, I would recommend segmenting your results.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_02: That was huge for me.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_02: Don't just throw everybody into one big pile of responses.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_02: So, what do your newest donors say?
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_02: What do your monthly donors say?
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_02: What do your most generous donors say?
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_02: The differences are where it gets really interesting.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_02: And honestly, I had a higher response rate for our most generous donors and then our monthly donors, and then our newest donors had the lowest response rate.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_02: And honestly, that's no surprise either, right?
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um, third, give them somewhere to tell you what you didn't think to ask.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_02: So the value of putting that open-ended question at the end, something simple like what else would you like us to know?
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_02: And then here's the big thing you have to read every answer because the comment you weren't expecting might be the one that changes what you do next.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_02: Can I give one more?
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_02: Can I give a fourth?
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, a fourth would be if you're not going to listen, if you're not going to implement some of the takeaways from this feedback, don't even do it.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_02: You might be hurting yourself, but it could be worse if you ask for advice and then cast it aside.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_02: So you have to implement the insight that you get from the survey or it's worthless.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes, yes, yes.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_01: Do not ask for that feedback if you're not going to do anything with it.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: When you ask donors for their opinion, you just build an expectation that their voice matters.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_01: So make sure it does.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_01: I'm glad that you threw in that forth for us.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_01: And and honestly, doing this in September, as I said, is absolutely the sweet spot.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_01: You can get your feedback now.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: You clean up your messaging in October.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: And then by the time Giving Tuesday and your end campaigns roll around in November and December, your campaigns are running on real feedback, real data instead of just guesses.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: And if you want a complete step-by-step framework on how to design and write your questions, we actually have a fantastic article over on the donor box blog titled Surveying Your Donors, How to Do It Right.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: And it breaks down sample questions, timing, and how to analyze the results.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll leave a direct link to that article in the show notes so you can drop it.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_01: Kara, thank you so much for opening up the hood of Grace Care Center and showing uh what you're discovering in real time.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_01: I think this has been a really, really great conversation.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks, Jenna.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_02: I I tend to geek out about this stuff.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_02: So thanks for giving me the opportunity to share this.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_02: I hope it gives somebody listening permission to just ask.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_02: Don't guess what your donors are thinking.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_02: Let them tell you.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_02: And if you're really willing to listen, you might learn something that makes your fundraising and honestly maybe your whole organization even better.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for joining us on the Nonprofit Podcast.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: I hope you've left with the confidence to take a small step today that will make a big difference tomorrow.
• 23:13
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• 23:27
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• 23:46
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