I’m currently in Pennsylvania presenting with Jen at the AFP Central PA Chapter!
My session: “Loving your donor with direct response: Inside the heart and mind of Dale”, focuses on how and why you need to infuse your annual program (but also your marketing and comms) with gallons of #donorlove.
For those who have never heard of the “ask, thank, report, repeat” cycle, in a visual venn nutshell, it looks like this:
A few points about this.
- It is proportionally correct – ish. Which means that the amount that you thank and report should be more than the amount that you ask. So many charities ASK – and then do nothing else. YES – we know who you are. Please stop that!
- It is sort of in order – ish. Which means that yes, when you ask your donor to help meet the needs of your mission, YOU MUST thank them for taking the action you asked of them and then, YOU MUST report back on how that action made a difference – all of which you must do before you ASK again. You feel me? You can also ASK, then thank, then report, then thank so more (differently), maybe report back some more (differently), then ask. I think you see where I am going.
- There are many overlapping points. For example, a brilliant #donorlove newsletter should accomplish all three. It can ask, it can thank and it can report back. Does yours do that? Another example, a gratitude report can thank and report back on your donors giving – but probably shouldn’t include an ask.
- This cycle must be rubbed, injected, smeared, infused and dripping with #donorlove. Emotional stories, unique voices, opportunities for your donor to feel like a hero, space for your donor to talk to you, tell you their stories, delighters and small human touches.
Finally, a thank you to Caoileann Appleby for the inspiration and also to the original OG’s of this concept, Steven Screen and Jim Shapiro. You can watch a short video from these two about this cycle here.
