10 Must Try Ninja Moves to Boost Your Donor Relationships

When you’re involved in fundraising, whether as a campaign manager, peer-to-peer organizer, or in any solicitation capacity within your organization, your goal is to be the go-to person in your donors’ lives who connects them to their greatest impact. 

And to be relevant, you need to show up. 

So…what’s stopping you?

Limited resources? Time? Not knowing enough about them to play an active role in their lives?

Or, maybe, a little of all of the above.

When we meet with organizations about engaging with their participants, we always emphasize the importance of the “rule of seven” in cultivation. This concept suggests that between each fundraising request, there should be seven meaningful touchpoints with donors.

In theory, the rule of seven sounds great, but in practice, it can be challenging. 

How many times can you say thank you? How many postcards can you send? Simply repeating the same interactions can become monotonous and ineffective.

To truly master the rule of seven, you need to understand what’s important to your supporters and find ways to form genuine connections with them. 

That’s where Hatch comes in. Hatch provides you with actionable touchpoints that enable you to follow the rule of seven with precision.

In this blog, we’ll explore 10 specific cultivation opportunities and entry points into the lives of your supporters. (Yes, we went above and beyond the rule of seven to bring you three extra ways you can show up for your donors!)

1. The Periodic Thank You

Gratitude shouldn’t just come once a year tied to a donation. Thank your donors regularly for being part of your journey! By reaching out to donors outside of fundraising campaigns, you keep the lines of communication open. Plus, it’s a perfect opportunity to update them on the impact of their contributions, showing them how their support makes a difference year round. Over time, this will help them feel more connected to your mission and your team. Sir Hatch, our AI content creation assistant, can help you write thank you messages quickly and easily, so your supporters know just how much they’re appreciated.

2. Birthdays

You ask your donors for money on your organization’s big day, but do you remember theirs? Show your supporters you’re thinking about them with a personalized birthday greeting with zero strings attached (read: no donation requests). Hatch Live, our real-time, live feed makes it easy to keep track of important dates and send out some feel-good birthday wishes. 

When it comes to wishing people a happy birthday, automated systems like CRM sometimes miss the mark when it comes to personalization. But with Hatch, you can make it personal. Easily filter birthdays for the week or month, pinpointing who to connect with. And if an email feels a little bit stuffy, you can send a quick text or even make a FaceTime call through Hatch.

3. Liking and Sharing Media Posts

Do you know the last time a donor shared something meaningful to them on social media? Do you even know which platforms they are most active on? 

One of the features we offer on Hatch Live is a real-time feed of today’s tweets. That way, you can jump in and engage with them on the spot. Now, you might be thinking, “Hey, I’m a director of development or even a CEO. It’s not really my job to start liking and sharing stuff on Twitter.” But here’s the deal: someone in the organization should be on it. Because the truth is, Twitter offers a prime opportunity to share passions, push agendas, or even seek help. This truth rings particularly true for public figures. By showing them you care about the issues that matter to them, they’ll be much more inclined to support yours when the time comes.

4. Connecting on LinkedIn

Engaging with your donors on LinkedIn can open doors to new, exciting partnerships, whether it’s an individual with the skills you need or a potential corporate sponsor. Hatch helps you zoom in on these opportunities to connect, forging stronger relationships by providing direct links to your entire community’s profiles and saving you months of hunting them down on your own.

We’ve also developed a proprietary social influence score. So, if you want to find highly influential people in your database, simply use our sorting filter to identify them. The filter will present you with a list of people who scored a 100 proprietary social influence score based on various data points like Twitter followings, media attention, and engagement across different platforms. Once you’ve pinpointed these individuals, you can easily connect with them on LinkedIn, send messages, and keep up with their professional endeavors. This is absolutely necessary for the next ninja move.

5. Congratulations on a New Job

Show your supporters you care by celebrating their career milestones. Hatch alerts you to job changes, so you can cheer them on and give them a massive high five for all they’ve achieved.

Additionally, this will help you scout volunteers with specific skill sets. For example, if you’re on the lookout for a writer, congratulating donors on their new jobs may lead you straight to a donor who just snagged a job as a tech writer. Now you can congratulate your donor for their achievement and add a name to your list of possible writers to add to your team! 

First things first, though: if you haven’t touched base with them in a while, start by just cultivating that connection. With Hatch, you can easily hop over to their LinkedIn page and shoot them a quick congratulations via email, text, or social media to get the conversation going. After that, you can explore if they’d be a good fit as a volunteer.

6. Congratulations on Moving

Moving is a big life event! Although Hatch doesn’t directly provide this information, with a bit of digging, you can uncover it.

Here’s the trick: sort your database by home value to spot potential movers. For instance, say a donor’s got two addresses listed in Hatch. It’s not definitive proof, but it’s definitely worth looking into.

Once we’ve confirmed their move, it’s a golden opportunity to send some warm wishes their way. A simple congrats on their new home not only strengthens your bond but also shows you’re tuned in to their life events. You can even sweeten the deal with a little housewarming gift, maybe even something that ties back to your shared mission or values.

7. Media Mentions

Are your supporters making headlines? Starting the next viral trend? Then, you bet you want to be the first to know! 

Let’s say you’re curious about what’s going on with someone special, whether they’re a celebrity, a politician, or a philanthropist. So you head over to the search bar in your Hatch database and look up their name. Let’s call her Abigail. Once you find her, you dive into the news section to see the latest buzz. Maybe Abigail, the child star, is making waves again, like landing a spot in the finals of The Voice Kids 2024. This is gold for staying connected!

Imagine shooting them a quick message, saying, “Hey, saw you’re crushing it on The Voice Kids! So proud of you!” It’s a great way to keep in touch and show you’re cheering them on, paving the way for future interactions.

8. Holiday Celebrations

Soon Americans will be celebrating Fourth of July and Father’s Day, but there’s also Juneteenth, National Vanilla Milkshake Day, and Shavuot. Bottom line? Everyone’s got their own unique traditions and holidays. Don’t miss out on the celebrations of your donors. 

Now, suppose you want to reach out to someone who might have a personal connection to a specific event. First, do a quick search to refresh your memory on what’s being commemorated. Then, check your database to see if anyone has ties to that event. This feature is not only informative but also a fantastic conversation starter. It’s a simple yet effective way to connect with your donors on a more personal level, fostering stronger relationships along the way. 

9. Political Activism

Navigating politics as an organization can be tricky. However, supporters who see their values aligned with your nonprofit are much more likely to advocate for your cause, spreading your message and growing your community.

If you want to locate individuals with similar political leanings, Hatch can help you filter your database to find donors who support specific candidates or political causes. By seeing the political causes they’ve donated to, you can tailor your engagement strategies accordingly. Additionally, filtering donors based on their political leanings allows for targeted outreach to Republicans or Democrats in your database. When you show that you understand and respect your supporters’ political views, you’ll build trust, credibility, and loyal relationships that last.

10. Company Information

Knowing your supporters’ industry and job roles can help you tailor your outreach to appeal to their interests and expertise. Hatch gives you insights into their company information, helping you attract supporters with valuable skills and connections who can contribute to your organization. Think potential board members, corporate sponsors, or volunteers. Plus, you can leverage these connections for networking opportunities that can expand your reach and launch new collaborations.

So what’s the bottom line? 

It all comes down to relationships. 

You must know your supporters inside and out and show them you understand them in a way that no other organization can. 

And to achieve this, you need data. It may seem a bit technical at first, but think of it as your superpower, allowing you to be present in your donors’ lives even when you’re not actively keeping tabs on them. 

It’s not going to happen overnight, but it all adds up. With each little interaction, your relationships deepen, leading to phone calls, meetings, coffee chats, and event attendance. 

So, why not put these ninja moves into action? Let Hatch show you how to level up your fundraising and marketing efforts for long term success.

Watch this video to learn more!