Whether you view it this way or not doesn’t matter – you do have a sales or lead generation funnel for your nonprofit fundraising.
My question to you is: When did you last examine your funnel for leaks?
In other words, where and why are you losing prospects?
• Is it because you used teaser copy on the outer envelope of your direct mail letter?
• Is it because you had a weak offer and call-to-action in your letter; and the reply device was impossible to read?
• Is it because you email too often?
• Is it because your email subject lines are weak?
• Is it because too many people can’t read a thing in your email unless they click to download images?
• Is it because your website gives no clue as to who you are or what you do?
• Is it because your website is hard to read or full of glitzy photos sliding across the page with no copy to explain what the heck it’s all about?
• Is it because your Tweets sound like you’re begging day-in and day-out?
• Is it because your Facebook posts are self-centered.
• Is it because there’s nothing about your Facebook page or updates to engage people?
• Or once they get to the landing page are they disappearing? Have you failed to convert them?
• Or do they start to fill out the online donation form and then abandon your site?
I could go on and on.
For all you know your acquisition funnel is leaking like a sieve! You’re losing donations and members right and left because something (or multiple somethings) about your marketing and fundraising is not getting the job done.
• Find out where prospects are leaving your funnel.
• Then analyze WHY they’re leaving.
• Once you have a theory on why they’re leaving … test it.
But don’t conduct one test. It takes multiple rounds of testing to reach any reliable conclusions; and to plug the leaks in your funnel so more prospects become donors and members.
You’re trying to acquire donors and members across multiple channels, both online and offline. This is your lead generation funnel.
That’s great. Start the year off right by taking time to locate where the leaks are in your funnel – where you’re losing prospects. It’s a cost effective way to increase your acquisition rate.
Related posts:
Acquisition through donor and member reviews
Donor-centric copy enhances acquisition (It’s “Us” or “Them”)
Are you SURE we know “Who your nonprofit is and what you do?”
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Photo credit: via PhotoPin.com – “the sutton family”