Last month, we dove into self-interested donations and the harm it does to the donor. Perhaps you are asking, “Now, what? How should I thank donors???”
First, we need to re-frame the question to:
How should I thank the gift from the donor?
This shift turns the question from praising the donor to praising the action; from the person to the performance. Performance-based praise has been shown to be a more effective reinforcer. This research started in the educational psychology field with children and has quickly expanded into the business world. The difference, in summary, is that person-praise has a “fixed mindset” of innate talent and personality (I am a giver) while performance-praise has a “growth mindset” for maturing as a person (I can become more generous).
Wait! Hold the fort! What about being “donor-centered?”
Agreed.
When I was preparing for my Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) exam, I borrowed Penelope Burk’s book, Donor-Centered Fundraising, from a colleague. In actually reading this book and the research, I had a moment of “what I thought I knew, but was wrong about.”
From the beginning of my fundraising career, I had heard of this concept, attended trainings and applied with I thought I learned; that is, make fundraising “about the donor” in contrast to “about the organization.” Reading the book showed me how “donor-centered fundraising” morphed beyond the research into donor-focused methods.
According to Penelope Burk and her team at Cygnus Applied Research:
Donor-Centered Fundraising fulfills donors’ three essential requirements:
* receiving prompt and meaningful acknowledgement whenever they make a gift;
* having every gift they make, regardless of its value, assigned to a program, project or initiative narrower in scope than the mission as a whole;
* receiving a report, in measurable terms, on what was accomplished with the last gift before being asked for another.
Donor-Centered Fundraising by Penelope Burk
Notice something? Each of these principles are related to performance-praise. Instead of applying this research, too many of us (myself included) started using donor-focused methods and called them “donor-centered.” For example, instead of saying, “Your gift,” we thanked donors with phrases like, “You are wonderful” and “You’re the hero.” And, we are seeing the unintended consequences now.
The good news is that it is fairly easy to change our stewardship messages and we become more authentic in the process.
Look at your thank you notes, acknowledgement letters, tax receipts and impact reports. Change any sentences from “You are…” to “Your gift is…” having an impact. Notice when you are talking with donors, are you complimenting them (person-praise) or praising their gift (performance-praise)? Try role-playing these new messages with your colleagues, staff or fellow Board members.
When we thank the gift, we reinforce the action want to see: generous giving.
There is a bonus to this shift as well. We become more authentic. Instead of giving “throw-away” compliments to people with whom we don’t have a deep personal relationship (person-praise), we are thanking the generous action that truly impacts our organizations (performance-praise). We no longer have to fake or over-emphasize personal praise.
Personally, I have always felt disingenuous when I praised donors that I didn’t know very well. I didn’t feel trustworthy with my words because the words felt fake and manipulative. On the other hand, by praising the gift, I am bring flourishing back into myself and into the lives of these donors by helping them become more generous.
Starting today, let’s practice gift-centered stewardship.