GUEST: Bonney Brown was Executive Director for six years at Nevada Humane Society, an open-admission shelter. She has been Chief Operating Officer, National No More Homeless Pets Director and Communications Director for Best Friends and was National Campaign Director for Alley Cat Allies. Bonney is currently president and co-founder of Humane Network, where she is often involved in assessing and creating fundraising campaigns for shelters and other animal organizations.
MAIN QUESTION: What works to engage more members of the community with our animal welfare work so that we can raise more funds — and what doesn't work?
TAKEAWAYS:
- Stories with great photos are powerful. Donors give twice as much when presented with a story about an individual animal than about the overall needs of the organization.
- Don’t expect stories and photos to happen. Assign someone to gather them – it can even be a volunteer.
- Train staff to take better cellphone photos so they can snap something good when a situation arises.
- Use “you” and “your” in your communications so that your audience feels they are a part of what’s happening.
- Thank people. It makes them feel they play a valued role in your organization’s good works.
- Let people know that donations of any size help. It helps people feel comfortable sending more modest gifts. In fact, research shows that using this phrase increases the number of people who give.
- Communicate with your supporters more than you think you should. Fundraising is about building relationships, and relationships require communication.
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