February 28, 2005

Some of the hardest and most satisfying work that consultants like myself and savvy fundraisers do, is listening to lapsed, lost and best donors. Now more than ever, I believe we all need to be listening to donor voices and preventing what happened after 9/11.

Some donors complain, "I'm burned out - the giving requests never stop." Others say, "If only they listened to me like Nordstrom's treats their customers."

"Treating the donor as an honored active partner in caring" really conveys the soul of giving and the relationship that is deepened when you conduct donor debriefings.

The priceless gift you'll often (not always) receive is concrete, actionable feedback. It will allow you to bond with and serve your donors far better. Why, because you'll know and pay attention to both their giving passions . . . and disconnects. Donors get to vent and heal and help make things better.

Treating donors with dignity means asking them about both their joys and disappointments with giving . . . and doing something positive with that gift of feedback.

Another key aspect of debriefings is, "Asking respectful questions . . . respectfully and having the donor hear themselves." It's about how we ask, sometimes even more than what we ask. It's about maturing donors into a lifetime relationship with giving.

Here are a few avenues of inquiry worthy of your consideration. Turning these questions into carefully crafted, non-defensive "appreciative inquiry" language will open doors and hearts to candid feedback.

    *  Why did they give where they did the first time, and not somewhere else?
    *  Will they give again and again, to what, and for what reasons?
    *  What will cause them to stop giving and how can you prevent that?
    *  What do they want to know about where their dollars go and what they do?
    *  What do they really appreciate about your organization that you'll want to expand?

As humans, we're:

   *  More than happy to listen to best donors
   *  Willing to listen to lapsed donors who we believe may come back
   *  Reticent or unwilling to listen to clearly lost donors

Yet, where does the most valuable improvement feedback come from? How many others will a disgruntled donor tell about their experience?

Caveat: As my Aunt Delia used to say, "If you can't afford to hear the answer and do something with it . . . don't ask the question!"

Feedback welcome at advocate@philanthropynow.com or 503.297.1490   Self-assessment on benefits of debriefing at www.philanthropynow.com © 2005 Charles Bernard Maclean, PhD, All rights reserved © 2005 PhilanthropyNow, All rights reserved Inquire about rights to reprint and for electronic posting.