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National moments—such as elections, natural disasters, and the current COVID-19 crisis—tend to propel certain nonprofits to the forefront of philanthropic attention. In these moments, new audiences and a larger spotlight create an immediate need for a ramped-up communications program as scrutiny around deliverables and actions heightens.

Stephen Peeler, Executive Director of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Foundation, is presently navigating this exact situation for the organization and its 20,000 members. In an exclusive interview conducted by Luke Driscoll, Managing Director at CCS Fundraising, Stephen discusses what it’s like to fundraise while supporting those on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. In this chat, he also expands on the creative ways the Foundation is communicating with donors as well as their wider new audience.

This video is the third installment of a mini webinar series, 5 Leaders | 5 Questions, where leaders at CCS Fundraising sit down with executives of leading nonprofits to discuss and reflect on fundraising in challenging times. In this series, the firm’s experts will explore each executive’s experience navigating fundraising in times of crisis, including the aftermath of 9/11, the Great Recession, natural disasters, as well as what they are seeing and doing amid today’s pandemic.

For more up-to-date information, visit ccsfundraising.com

To access our full suite of perspectives, publications, and reports, visit our insights page. To learn more about CCS Fundraising’s suite of services, click here.

Healthcare institutions around the world are currently doing everything they can to combat the COVID-19 crisis, and they are doing so while also ensuring that other essential programs, such as cancer research, rare disease prevention/treatment, and other lifesaving services remain active for the sake of all of their patients. Many healthcare organizations are therefore asking how to best communicate the continued importance of these programs during this pandemic.

Advocates and friends of these programs – as well as nonprofit organizations and philanthropists dedicated to providing healthcare for all of those in need – can fill the funding gap and ensure treatment for those whose lives depend on it by executing on tried and true practices.

Communicate about the disruption

This is a critical time for healthcare organizations to communicate their needs to donors and prospects. Don’t be surprised if their response is more positive than anticipated. The current health crisis and its economic impact have been so disruptive to our daily lives that many philanthropists want to understand the entirety of its effects on their community’s nonprofits. Sometimes organizations intuitively feel the need to postpone communications while they resolve the uncertainty that affects their work. Yet it is exactly in times like these that need more information is needed, not less.

Communication will help individuals to understand how they can continue to be a part of the organization. Provide regular updates. Help the broader community understand how they can do more in this period. Invite them to respond creatively, to serve as advocates and fundraisers when armed with updated information about your organization. Use these advocates and volunteers to tell stories that demonstrate how you continue to deliver on your mission by repositioning services in the current environment. Share how some patients are still being helped. Explain what it means for individuals who can’t receive a critical healthcare service and how their world is different because of the suspension or shortfall of lifesaving healthcare service.

Articulate the impact through numbers and narrative

Help potential donors understand how the current disruption will affect the budget of the specific program in question. Provide updated fundraising forecasts as soon as possible. Events are being postponed every day. Embrace that and share what you are doing to replace the lost revenue. If major gift requests have been postponed, project the impact the delay will cause and when solicitation of prospects in the pipeline will resume. But don’t just message a general need for money. Address the costs required to maintain services, the investment made to pivot to an online model, explain ways in which you have reduced expenses, and articulate your vision for the short and long term.

Cast the net wider and innovate

With so many organizations depending on fundraising events for annual revenue, their wholesale cancellation presents multiple challenges. It causes a shortfall in relationship building, enhancing public awareness, stewarding donors and volunteers, and fundraising for crucial revenue needs. Yet, the current crisis offers other healthcare programs a unique opportunity to rethink their fundraising model. Consider other ways to strengthen relationships, thank valued members of the community, increase visibility, and raise funds:

You may be able to hold an annual event virtually.
Perhaps you can conduct an awareness drive to educate the broader community about the program and the unique challenges the current environment presents.
Set aside dedicated time for one-on-one conversations with prospective donors and ask them for a special gift, above and beyond their normal giving, to support the cause during these challenging times.
Encourage volunteers to reach out to their networks and identify potential new donors.
Consider reaching deeper into the organization’s database to connect with past donors who haven’t been heard from in a while. Are they open to returning as a donor given the unique situation?
Let people who have given in the past understand what challenges you face now. It might be that a family impacted by an illness in the past understand might be receptive to making a special gift during these unusual times.

Does your organization need assistance with ensuring fundraising support for all of your programs? Contact CCS today.

CCS Fundraising is a strategic fundraising consulting firm that partners with nonprofits for transformational change. Members of the CCS team are highly experienced and knowledgeable across sectors, disciplines, and regions. With offices throughout the United States and the world, our unique, customized approach provides each client with an embedded team member for the duration of the engagement. To access our full suite of perspectives, publications, and reports, visit our insights page. To learn more about CCS Fundraising’s suite of services, click here.

Most nonprofits have moved forward with major fundraising efforts—with appropriate modifications—despite the impact of the current global health pandemic, according to a new CCS Fundraising study of 1,183 professionals representing nonprofit organizations across all major philanthropic sectors. Only 9 respondents (less than 1%) noted campaign cancellations.

This news comes as nonprofits prepare for a downward trend in fundraising results throughout the remainder of the year. Sixty-three percent of respondents reported a decline in fundraising since the start of the pandemic, with over three-quarters expecting a drop in results through 2020.

CCS launched this broad scale fundraising survey, conducted between April 20—May 1, to better understand the immediate philanthropic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nonprofits. The study addresses the behaviors, progress, and challenges faced by organizations in the first two months since the crisis began.

Among the key findings, slightly more than half of respondents say their organizations have launched special appeals during the crisis, and most organizations continue to prioritize outreach to donors at all levels.

“We believe the size of the data set and the timeliness of these responses provide an illuminating picture of the depth and the scale of the initial impact,” says CCS Chairman, Robert Kissane.

CCS will continue to roll out new installments of this survey in the coming months, in addition to offering insights on how the data should inform short- and long-term fundraising plans. Contact CCS today to discuss your strategy.

During this challenging time, we are continuing to offer our perspectives and lessons learned from over seven decades of nonprofit advisory leadership. Click here to access our Strategies During COVID-19 page. Here you will find resources that provide best practices and optimal strategies to help your organization build a path through this crisis and beyond.

For more up-to-date information, visit www.ccsfundraising.com

To access our full suite of perspectives, publications, and reports, visit our insights page. To learn more about CCS Fundraising’s suite of services, click here.

This month, we spoke to Aíne Gibbons, Director of Development at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences based in Dublin. RCSI is currently running the RCSI_TOMORROW campaign, the most ambitious philanthropic initiative in the institution’s history.

“Like all charitable organisations, Covid-19 has presented unprecedented challenges for RCSI but it has also brought the opportunity to engage with our community in a different way and unite under a common experience.

Early on in the crisis we sought to define our ‘voice’ to ensure a consistent tone across all of our communications. We took inspiration from the Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar whilst he addressed the nation upon lockdown “let them say of us, when things were at our worst, we were at our best.” It was a statement that embodied how we wanted to act; with a recognition for the challenge but a collective resilience to be part of the solution.

From there we were able to adapt the message for our various audiences and develop the #RCSItogether communication campaign. By creating an inclusive message we could engage with our community and open a dialogue with them to understand their role in fighting the pandemic across the world. We didn’t want people to merely read what we were saying but to take part in it.

My advice to organisations regardless of the sector is to identify your tone and ensure that this remains consistent throughout your communications. Think about the reader and ask yourself ‘what will people say about our organisation when this is all over?’ I wish all of you the very best of luck in your endeavours.”

Before joining RCSI, Aíne Gibbons led significant campaigns for University College Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast, and previously worked in fundraising for the NSPCC.

Innovative solutions for engaging nonprofit supporters have emerged as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused organizations to reevaluate and revise their fundraising strategies, particularly those halted by social distancing practices. For nonprofits across sectors, it will take some trial and error to determine which solutions are most effective, and perhaps, worth integrating into long-term toolkits for raising funds in a post-pandemic world.

One area that is currently being tested is virtual fundraising events. A recent CCS blog post offered advice for transitioning in-person events to online, assisting those organizations unable to cancel and forgo a significant source of annual revenue. With many nonprofits embarking on this uncharted path during this health crisis, several recipes for success have since come to light.

In this post, Tracy Conte, Vice President of Development and Community Engagement at Ability Beyond, a nonprofit that serves over 3,000 people with disabilities in Connecticut and New York, offers insights on their first No Go Gala held on April 25. We spoke to Tracy about how this event was created and implemented.

Why did you decide to plan a virtual fundraising event rather than cancel the event?

Our team knew it was important to move forward and raise awareness and critical funds for the people we serve. In ordinary times, Ability Beyond serves some of the most vulnerable members of our community, and our annual gala raises essential support for programs and services including housing, employment opportunities, and social connection. During the COVID-19 state of emergency, our people – from consumers to frontline caregivers – have been deeply affected, and we face mounting costs and lost revenue due to the pandemic. We needed to proceed with the gala to ensure the well-being of our people and the stability of the organization.

What was the format for the virtual fundraising event?

Our No Go Gala consisted of a special print and email appeal, dedicated event webpage accepting donations from April 1 through May 1, and a live one-hour giving hour on April 25 – the date of our original gala.

The live giving hour was heavily promoted in advance, streamed on our website and open to all. Comedian Christine O’Leary, who is a favorite past-host at our in-person gala, led the program from the Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury, CT, our long-time venue partner. The program included video messages from Ability Beyond team members and sponsors, special stories from clients and staff, communication on the impact of COVID-19 to the organization, and a live lend-a-hand pledge. We received surprise call-in donations and shared these exciting moments with our online guests.

How did you measure success?

We are extremely proud of the way our community came together to support the No Go Gala. The virtual event raised over $465,000, surpassing our goal of $400,000. Beyond funds raised, more than 1,200 members of our community joined us for the live webcast to show their support for our clients and staff.

What key strategies led to your success?

There are a few factors that stand out:

We were able to secure early leadership commitments. Many of these commitments came through early solicitations before we transitioned to a virtual event, as part of ongoing major gift work. When we chose to move our event online, we communicated our plans to current and prospective donors, explained how the virtual event will help address existing and new needs related to COVID-19, and asked donors to consider sustaining or increasing their support. We were largely met with generosity and praise for quickly pivoting.

We galvanized our community. From the start of the pandemic, we increased our communications and focused on what is happening at Ability Beyond and how people can help support us – financially, with in kind donations, and through volunteer efforts. We consistently underscored the importance of our mission and the role of philanthropy. As we made plans for the virtual event, we included updates in our regular communications. We leaned on our community – board members, committee volunteers, families, and friends – to participate, provide financial support, and invite others in their network to join us. After becoming aware of Ability Beyond’s situation and needs, they rose to the occasion to help.

Timing played an important role. The idea of a virtual event came up in early March as social distancing was beginning to hit Connecticut and New York, and we closed our day programs for the safety of our clients and staff. With some support for an in-person gala already committed and an invitation ready to send, we quickly redirected our efforts to planning this virtual event. Immediately, our development and communications team worked to determine logistics, developed a communication strategy, and reached out to sponsors and donors. Coupled with news of Ablity Beyond’s needs and a rising interest in helping essential human service nonprofits like ours, the novel idea of a virtual event resonated as a method to help our community through these trying times.

Ability Beyond’s No Go Gala offers a model for other organizations conducting a virtual fundraising event, and we are already seeing more examples of successful pivots to online events. While nonprofits continue to explore and adapt, perhaps the biggest lesson to learn from Ability Beyond is to leverage proven, relationship-based fundraising strategies and to not be afraid to try something new.

Planning a Virtual Fundraising Event: How to Begin

Engage your leadership team and top donors. Deploy your development staff and volunteers to personally call your most supportive leaders and donors. Share your plans, seek advice, and ask for early commitments.

Increase communications to your greater community. Ensure your community is aware of your organization’s needs, the impact COVID-19 is having on your programs and services, and ways to help. These updates may be through increased online and email communications, as well as new tactics like webinars or group calls. As your virtual event takes shape, you can communicate plans and ask for support from an already captive audience.

Consider what makes your in-person gala unique and adapt to an online format. Are there annual performances or entertainers willing to help? Are there mission-focused highlights of students, patients, or other people served? Are there awards and recognition opportunities that inspire and motivate others. Integrate the elements that make your fundraising event special into your online program.

A common principle that has emerged in nonprofit fundraising through times of crisis and economic uncertainty is that the organizations who continue major fundraising efforts are much better positioned for success over those that pause activity.

A shining example of this lesson is St. Joseph’s Villa in Richmond, VA, which maintained a successful capital campaign through the Great Recession while several like-minded organizations in its area held back. In this exclusive video, Luke Driscoll, Managing Director at CCS Fundraising, chats with Kathleen Barrett, CEO of St. Joseph’s Villa, to discuss lessons learned from the 2008 campaign and how those takeaways are influencing the organization’s current fundraising strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were able to find so many new donors during the 2008 Recession simply by reaching out and communicating immediately, and ultimately delivering on our promises,” says Kathleen.

St. Joseph’s Villa is a nonprofit dedicated to creating brighter futures for children of all socioeconomic backgrounds faced with developmental disabilities, diverse learning styles, mental health issues, and homelessness, among other challenges. Kathleen has been at the helm of St. Joseph’s since 2006, but the organization has survived countless times of crisis since opening its doors in 1834.

“We have applied the same strategies during this crisis that we always have. We simply buckle down and show everyone that we are the strength in the storm,” says Kathleen.

This video is the second installment of a mini webinar series, 5 Leaders | 5 Questions, where leaders at CCS Fundraising sit down with executives of leading nonprofits to discuss and reflect on fundraising in challenging times. In this series, the firm’s experts will explore each executive’s experience navigating fundraising in times of crisis including the aftermath of 9/11, the Great Recession, natural disasters, as well as what they are seeing and doing amid today’s pandemic.

For more up-to-date information, visit ccsfundraising.com

To access our full suite of perspectives, publications, and reports, visit our insights page. To learn more about CCS Fundraising’s suite of services, click here.

As COVID-19 presents challenges to fundraising activity, we are all the while uncovering new opportunities to exercise creativity in continuing to meet our transformational goals.

This post is devoted to one possible solution: a virtual tour of your organization during a video meeting with a donor. While, of course, nothing compares with the live experience of your programs or services, there are simple and elegant ways of conveying your organization’s story, delivering mission moments, and setting the stage for your case for support all on an online platform. The following is intended to help you consider how a virtual tour might be useful to your donors, how to create one that captures your unique mission and vision, and what key considerations to keep in mind.

What is a Virtual Tour?

An in-person tour allows you to show the donor exactly where you are and where you’re headed. By allowing them to feel the mission and experience your organization firsthand, you are able to create a deep connection between the donor and your institution. They are often key components of cultivation, briefing, and request conversations. So how do you replicate these highly effective meetings during this crisis or when a donor isn’t able to meet you in person?

In this online landscape, consider a highly visual 20-minute slide deck summary on your organization that brings the mission to life, articulates key program areas, and sets the stage for upcoming funding opportunities to unlock the greatest impact. The tour should be engaging, informative, and should inspire the donor to visit in person when it is safe to do so. As you invite donors to participate in virtual meetings, set expectations and share what will be included during your time together.

When putting together a virtual tour, consider the following:

Process

With the key objectives established, begin preparing your virtual tour with your team. This could be a strategic set of photographs, quotes, organizational stats, or some combination that are visually compelling and contain concise but powerful pieces of information. Keep the following in mind as you get to work:

Consider the “user journey.” Replicating your in-person tour begins with thinking about how the tour typically begins and ends. Where do you take them throughout the tour? Do you have visuals each step of the way? Consider piecing together a storyboard for how this journey can be translated to the online audience. Build the slide deck around your story, keeping key transitions in mind. For example, are there key points you always hope to cover in the opening minutes of your tour? Include them in your opening slide.
Show don’t tell. Work with your team to gather all the best pieces you have on hand from your stockpile of images, infographics, testimonials, and renderings. Consider how you can show your story with the greatest impact for your donor. When possible, use high-resolution images for maximum effect. If you don’t have images for a certain moment, look into using stock imagery.
Design for the format. Consider how long you’d like to spend on each slide and prepare the visuals and information to be easily digestible in that time. Remember that your deck will be seen through a computer screen so craft your slides in widescreen format.
- Consider the prospective donor. What does your donor already know about the organization? How will your presentation build on that knowledge? Which aspects of the mission have they responded to previously? Are there updates or programs that should be prominently highlighted?
Plot your narrative. What must be established about the organization yesterday and today before launching into your vision for tomorrow? How do you plan to navigate those transitions? Prepare speaking notes to accompany your presentation that add to—rather than reiterate—what is shown on screen.
Maintain participant energy. Develop guiding questions to pose throughout the visit that will engage your donors in conversation, gain their insights, and better understand their interests.
Test and adjust. Share with the donor that this is a new format. Invite their feedback and suggestions to strengthen the experience. Throughout the meeting, make note of instances where adjustments can be made in advance of the next meeting.

Challenges to Overcome

Technical difficulties. Always have a backup plan and additional platforms to use should you experience any issues. Be sure to run through the slides and practice sharing your screen with internal participants well in advance and adjust as necessary. Avoid sharing video files unless you know they will present well to your external audience on your platform of choice. See our recent post on video conferencing for donor meetings for more tips and tricks to keep things running smoothly.
Reading people through the screen. Make sure to allow time for feedback. Call on participants by name to keep the conversation going and do your best to prevent people from speaking over one another.
Going over on time. Add less to the agenda than you typically would so that any unforeseen technical difficulties do not detract from the critical content. For time purposes, get the donors up to speed before the meeting begins by preparing a clear agenda and notes in advance, and encourage speakers to keep them handy and open on their screens.

Follow-up

In addition to your case for support or other key materials, send the virtual tour to the donor following your meeting for their reference or as a stand-alone piece to share with any decision makers who were unable to join you online. When it is safe to do so, invite the donor to visit in person to build on the virtual tour and to complete their experience of your organization.

Beyond this specific moment, a virtual tour deck could be used to engage far-flung alumni, prospective donors with limited mobility, and snowbirds whose availability to meet is so often seasonal. A thoughtful and well-designed virtual tour is a wonderful tool to have in your fundraiser toolbox during these days of global pandemic and certainly beyond.

As nonprofits continue to find innovative ways to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic—especially when it comes to donor engagement—many organizations are drawing from lessons learned from past crises.

Barbara Deutsch, CEO of Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) helped the organization continue fundraising initiatives through the 2008 recession which included a successful capital campaign bolstered by a robust donor communication strategy. In this new video, Luke Driscoll, Managing Director at CCS Fundraising chats with Barbara on how she is applying similar principles during the COVID-19 pandemic and how LAF is preparing for the uncertain months ahead.

This video is the first installment of a mini webinar series, 5 Leaders | 5 Questions, where leaders at CCS Fundraising sit down with executives of leading nonprofits to discuss and reflect on fundraising in challenging times. In this series, the firm’s experts will explore each executive’s experience navigating fundraising in times of crisis including the aftermath of 9/11, the Great Recession, natural disasters, as well as what they are seeing and doing amid today’s pandemic.

For more up-to-date information, visit ccsfundraising.com

To access our full suite of perspectives, publications, and reports, visit our insights page. To learn more about CCS Fundraising’s suite of services, click here.

As CCS Fundraising has previously noted, in the recovery that follows periods of crisis and economic uncertainty, organizations that pause fundraising activity lag significantly behind those that do not.

A pause in programmatic activity may therefore represent a risk to an organization’s donor engagement, cultivation, and stewardship efforts. During the current pandemic crisis, nonprofits must identify ways to move forward in serving their communities, driving impact, and engaging individuals – new and known – in their mission. This mandate presents a significant challenge for performing arts organizations, whose programs rely upon community gatherings and shared experience.

With the option of congregating in groups an impossibility for the immediate future, performing arts organizations are both uniquely burdened but also uniquely capable of reimagining their programmatic activities. The current public health emergency has led some performing arts organizations to take on the challenge of engaging and potentially expanding their audiences in noteworthy and exciting ways.

The Fisher Center at Bard moved quickly to launch a virtual stage, UPSTREAMING, in early April, offering a weekly series of streaming digital content, including archival performances as well as live broadcasts of new work. As part of the series, the creative team behind Caryl Churchill’s Mad Forest re-envisioned the previously scheduled live theatre production as a digital experience. In a matter of weeks, they pivoted the production to be performed live by actors from 14 separate locations using a specially modified version of Zoom. The digital broadcast performance had over 4,400 viewers, significantly more audience members than the live theatre space would have been able to accommodate.

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra launched NJSO At Home, complete with an entirely new logo to represent the organization’s current programmatic focus. NJSO At Home offers content including concert recordings, “couch concerts” by NJSO musicians, and an invitation to join a virtual orchestra to celebrate Beethoven’s 250^th birthday.

Williamstown Theatre Festival pivoted to a digital strategy swiftly, announcing a collaboration with Audible at the same time they shared that they would be unable to proceed with the theatre season in Williamstown as planned. Individuals will be able to listen to the season’s works via podcast, the first time a season of theatre has been offered in this format. Notably, this new initiative enables potential audience expansion as global listeners, much of whom would typically be unable to make the trip to Massachusetts, now have access to the Festival’s summer lineup on their home devices.

These examples are but a selection of the many arts organizations creatively envisioning seasons, galas, and events large and small. If your organization has not yet adapted or is contemplating additional approaches, an assessment of internal resources and capabilities along with a quick survey of peer organizations can help you move forward quickly and effectively.

Creating smart, engaging digital programming empowers an organization’s development team. Online events can be leveraged for donor outreach and special invitations; successful events can yield new prospective donors and avenues of support. Consider the following key questions in guiding digital engagement follow up strategies:

How can we collect data from our remote audience members? The ability to collect demographic and/or contact information from your digital audience will determine your follow-up strategies. Your ability to quantify the number of individuals who engaged with you and the depth and breadth of that engagement will also leave you well-positioned in making your case to donors and institutional funders moving forward.
How will we cultivate and steward those who engage with us digitally? Once data collection is implemented, determine how your organization wants to steward participants. Consider the size of the event, the number of unknown participants, and the resources you want to allocate to screening and outreach for a human touch following a digital performance. If possible, build this plan before the program’s launch to ensure that your organization is maximizing the opportunity to make connections and build relationships in this remote setting.
Which components of our new digital strategies will we carry over when operations have resumed as normal? While not complete replacements for concerts and theatrical productions to which audiences are eager to return (when safe to do so), innovative methods of outreach and engagement are still extremely valuable. Consider how your organization will carry over what it has learned during this forced remote period to continue to engage those who are unable to come to your space even during the best of times. Think about why individual and institutional partners might find digital strategy and expanded audience reach compelling, and ask for their insights and support as you move forward.

What has your performing arts organization done to expand and engage your audience during the COVID19 crisis? Comment below to share your strategies and success stories!

Nonprofit organisations of all sizes and across sectors share the same question: how do we engage our donors, and what sort of outreach is appreciated and appropriate? With the COVID-19 crisis impacting the philanthropic landscape on a daily basis, the answer to that question has taken on new levels of depth and importance. The situation can appear paralysing to even the most experienced fundraiser. However, the most important thing we have learned in our 70+ years of work in the philanthropic sector is the power of communication. Right now, your focus as fundraising professionals should be on consistent and highly personalised donor engagement strategies.

Guidance for Communication

While it is important to remain sensitive to the current environment, it is not an effective strategy to cease communications with donors altogether during a crisis. In fact, it is essential for you to increase communications to keep key stakeholders informed and engaged during this fast-changing time. Focus on sending regular, concise and thoughtful communications. As you prepare your communication plan, consider how different constituents may be affected and able to respond during this time. For example, your messaging should be customised for individuals vs. corporate vs. foundation funders, as well as for generation, gender, and ethnicity. But regardless of the constituency, keep the following four points in mind to form the foundation of your messaging:

Stay the Course: Your organisation’s mission remains the same, even during challenging times. Remain focused on your goals.
Make Adjustments: When needed, tweak your strategy based on feedback and new information.
Be Flexible: Given the present challenges, be willing to diverge slightly from your original plan.
Think Long-Term: Donor engagement has always been about building and maintaining lasting relationships.

Prioritising Your Communication

As you plan your communication strategy, chart the stages of your prospect pipeline and accompany each stage with its own recommendations. You can begin by separating constituents into categories defined by their stage in the solicitation cycle: identification, cultivation, brief, ask, and steward. In the case of a crisis, stewardship is your highest priority. Reverse that order and begin with donors who are in your stewardship category. For each of these stages, you will want to consider detailed answers for the following criteria:

Priority: Determine a timeline for communicating with each group. Who should you be engaging with first? How can you ensure ongoing communication – are there updates you can plan in the weeks ahead?
Considerations: what are your goals for each person? Are there specific items you need to share at this time? What do they need to hear from you to move the conversation on in the long term?
Personalisation: How personal should the communication be? Do you need to thank them, ask for their support, share how the crisis is affecting your organisations, show the development of a case for support?
Communication channel: What is the most appropriate method of communication? A personal call, a handwritten note, an email, or a video conference?
Lead: Who is the best person on your team to lead this communication?

Special Considerations

Among the many challenges we are all facing, there are two issues you will want to pay particular attention to in your communication.

Personal concerns: Health and the economy are likely front of mind for all donors. Always begin conversations by checking in and inviting donors to share their experiences or concerns.
Technology: Be sure to run through virtual visits and test media ahead of schedule. Use the donor’s preferred platform for check-in meetings with volunteers and organisational leadership to get everyone comfortable with the functionality and features.

Recommended Strategies

1. Lead with well wishes and care for the safety of the individual. Acknowledge that this is an unprecedented time and many are experiencing disruption to their routines and plans.

Sample Messaging: It is our sincere hope that you and your family are well, safe, and able to continue as much of your normal routine as possible in this uncertain time.

2. Provide a high-level summary of the organisation’s response plan. Focus on relevant expertise provided by your organisation and/or the way in which you are supporting your community through the crisis.

Sample Messaging: As a close friend of our organisation, we want to share with you…

Consider sharing your organisation’s crisis response fund, useful resources, or opportunities to get involved.
Do not provide medical advice. Aim to share resources that are nonpartisan.

3. Circle back to the organisation’s mission and sharing current needs.

Sample Messaging: Amidst the uncertainty of this moment, one thing remains clear, the need for our services within the community has never been greater.

4. Close with a sincere thank you.

Sample Messaging: As a supporter of our organisation, you empower our ability to respond to this crisis, continue services to our constituents, and advance our mission. Thank you.

5. Additional Engagement Ideas
Given work-from-home and social distancing regulations and an increased need to connect and engage with one another, now is a good time to think about creative ways to communicate with your donors.

Create “in-person” online opportunities for engagement. Host virtual meetings with structure and speaking notes. Make the discussion tangible by presenting the host’s screen to share photos, charts, and digital booklets/case statements to bring the mission to life.
Close the social distance. Consider hosting a cultivation “social hour” led by organisation leadership, campaign chair, and any subject matter experts (physician, teacher, curator) at the organisation.

Conclusion

Remember that throughout this crisis, your highest priority should be communicating with your donors. Nurture your relationships. Through past crises, donors continued to give to organisations they felt connected to, so it is imperative that you maintain those connections. Charitable organisations can persevere through challenging times with flexibility, creativity, and resolve. This time of challenge will pass and important conversations with key stakeholders and prospects will resume. Use this time to optimally position your organisation and build your reputation in order to facilitate successful future engagements.

During this challenging time, we are continuing to offer our perspectives and lessons learned from over seven decades of nonprofit advisory leadership. Click here to access our Resources for COVID-19 page. Here you will find resources that provide best practices and optimal strategies to help your organisation build a path through this crisis and beyond.