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In today’s time where customer experience is intrinsic to the business success of most brands, charitable and non-profit organizations are still struggling to understand their customer needs. According to Stanford Social Innovation Review, 88% of leaders in the social innovation sphere consider “customer feedback” as important but find it difficult to implement.
There are around 10 million non-profit and non-governmental organizations in the world. As donations are the primary source of funding for these organizations, it becomes more important for them to enhance their donor experience. Moreover, two-thirds of donors either donate to organizations they know or the ones recommended by their family/ friends (without doing any research before giving). Considering the massive boost in donations related to disaster relief, i.e. from $212,000 in 2015 to $862,000 in 2017 (approx 300% of median cash), the growth of nonprofits has always been on the rise.
Therefore, nonprofits need to adopt the business model of the profit-world and start treating their donors/stakeholders as customers. Let’s dig deeper to understand it further:
Download Now: 5 Customer Experience Survey Templates
Customer experience is ubiquitous
There’s no doubt that commercial businesses always strive to please their customers. Likewise, nonprofit organizations need to focus on building strong relationships with their donors as they fund their mission. So, the big brands and nonprofits sail in the same boat – as neither of them can ignore their customer experience. Since the donors of a nonprofit program do not receive any service in exchange for money (like customers who get a product/service for some dollars), managing a successful relationship with donors can be an intricate process. With the continuous increase of nonprofit organizations out there, how will you grab your donors’ attention and strengthen their commitment to your organization?
As nonprofit customers can be seen wearing multiple hats – as a donor, volunteer, client, stakeholder, or an advocate, there’s a need for a better sophisticated model as compared to the one used for simple transactional experience. In fact, the volunteers may prove to be the ideal donors- by donating twice than the non-volunteers, if engaged through efficient volunteering. Thus, the notion of CX becomes more crucial for nonprofits.
Prioritizing customer-centricity in nonprofits
Connect with your donors emotionally
Start by delighting your donors in a personalized way. While 92% of marketers find personalization helpful in brand building, 87% of them consider it effective for lead generation. Choosing innovative and out-of-the-box methods to “wow” your donors can drive engagement with your nonprofit organization. Throwing in exciting surprises, tweeting a personalized thank you note, or sending a humorous email to infuse some fun could be a great idea.
Share the impact of contributions made
Communicating the impact of donor contributions is an essential aspect of your marketing plan. As donors contribute to your cause, let them know how their money is being used and the changes imparted by your organization. Ask donors how they feel about the impact created by their donations and if the difference was inline with their expectations.
Help your staff surpass expectations
When customer advocacy is ingrained into your organization’s culture, everyone onboard focuses on being adventurous yet creative to become a happiness hero for their clients. Encouraging your employees to embed personalized communication can help drive donor loyalty. Giving your staff the freedom to perform not only improves your fundraising strategies but also makes your donors feel valued.
Give your donors a voice
Soliciting feedback from donors helps to understand them better and strengthens engagement across your nonprofit organization. Also, it bolsters the donor’s belief in self-advocacy by giving them a prominent seat at the decision table. Conducting omnichannel surveys can help you uncover donor trends and follow a data-driven approach to donor satisfaction. Moreover, it will empower you to personalize communication with donors and interact in a targeted way.
Like in any business relationship, delivering exceptional service is essential for an organization to meet its mission and vision. As the nonprofits are scrutinized largely, it’s imperative to treat your donors/stakeholders right which makes them feel valued.
In case you’re exploring some options for social research, we empower nonprofits conduct social research surveys and track the impact of their studies globally. With over 45 years of experience servicing the social research space, Voxco’s robust and flexible platform is known to support complex sampling strategies and sophisticated programming needs. Our powerpacked solution manages data of varying volumes and complexity with ease.
Get in touch with Voxco for best-in-class solutions to transform every touchpoint into a positive donor experience.
