Considering it's the holiday season, it only makes sense that people seem more than willing to give money to their favorite cause or charity. Their donations help you pursue your organization's mission by funding operations, run campaigns that raise awareness for your cause and expand your outreach. With that said, people donate for various reasons other than to provide you help. One reason is that, quite simply, giving feels good. When running your holiday campaign or any other fundraiser, make sure your supporters are happy making a donation. This seems obvious, but this sort of thinking will help ensure they feel more inclined to give more with greater frequency. You're building a relationship with the constituent by making them feel good, and when you use nonprofit CRM software to manage their donations and support, you can make them feel better.
Giving makes people feel warm and fuzzy
Studies have consistently shown that donating money to a charitable cause is heavily tied to positive emotions, including happiness. The Non Profit Times recently cited a study by Harris Interactive on people's emotions when they donated. The results showed that 60 percent of people who donated felt hopeful their contribution is making a difference. Forty-eight percent stated giving makes them feel satisfied, while 43 percent said it makes them excited.
Donations make everyone feel good.Similarly, a social experiment was conducted by the University of California at Berkeley, in which people were given money and instructions to either donate to a charity or use the money for themselves. Those who made a charitable contribution were found to be happier than those who paid for a personal bill or good. Even when respondents reported feeling bad about their donations, it was more in a positive than negative light: Around 17 percent said they are frustrated they couldn't give more, and 8 percent stated they feel guilty for having the wealth others did not.
Doing the right thing
However, making your constituents feel good about their efforts takes a lot more effort than you think. They should feel like that they donated willingly and feel a connection to the cause of your organization. Make them feel like they actually made a distinct difference. In essence, through donating, you are trying to create a lasting relationship with the person who contributed. It's the type of relationship you can build up with CRM.
The first thing you need to consider is the willingness factor. You want to make sure that donating to your cause is a choice. Granted, all donations are choices, but there's a chance that someone may have been guilt-tripped into donating. While making the donation can still be rewarding, it has a more potent impact on contributor if they decides to give on their own accord, rather than because they felt forced to do so by you or someone else.
The second factor is the connection you make with the constituent. You have to understand where the person donating is coming from, and try to relate your cause in that way. The supporter will feel much better if you're relating to them in a certain way.
Finally, you should consider your mission's impact. You should be able to explain in detail to contributors where their money is going, including what campaigns you're developing. The more they know, the greater the impact they feel they'll have made. And that will definitely make them feel good.