Just because your organization isn’t the largest or most recognized doesn’t mean your work isn’t meaningful. And every communication—including your website, direct mail appeal, and campaign case statement--is an opportunity to strengthen (or break) audience trust and engagement.

It should come as no surprise that donors want assurance that organizations know—and are grateful for—who they are as people (not as wallets). Why would a donor continue to support an organization that can’t even get their name right?

I joined Peloton in 2017. Back when folks thought the fitness platform was for supermodels (I am not) who live in glass houses (I do not). What has Peloton taught me about donor recognition?

Storytelling is a powerful tool that, when done effectively, engages, evokes emotions, sparks empathy, and connects our past to our present. Forty-something me would not write the same story as 30-something me.

The reality of pandemic life that most of us have been, appropriately and unapologetically, cycling through periods of just not feeling okay. Our fatigue impacts how we relate to and communicate about our work. Consciously or not, you may have grown apathetic towards your projects or simply find yourself stuck.

Nonprofits are masters at talking about themselves. But donor stewardship and engagment requires us to reframe communications to be donor-centric: knowing who our donor is and embracing them as the hero of our organization’s story. Our language should talk directly to the donor and encourage their motivations for giving.