NO, No you cannot! The art of thanking people for a kind deed does way more than asking for the favour to begin with! How is that possible? If they don't know you need help, who's going to tell them? You, of course. You are running a toy drive, a food appeal, or maybe in the winter blankets for the people that have to sleep rough. Start by thanking, not by asking.
If that sound backwards, don't worry you'll get the hang of it soon. Putting thank you instead of please front of everyone's mind takes a few easy steps.
1 - Start your ask with a personal annecdote
Recently our station lost a valued team member, he had been in palliative care for a while at the hospital we were doing a fundraiser for. Everybody loved the guy, listeners who met him and staff alike. As did one of our advertisers who decided to match all private donations coin for coin. Just the year before, we had raised quite a big chunk of money to refurbish that palliative care unit. So it was our listeners that that made a huge difference to quality of life of a cherised community member. Leading with a thank you was easy!
2 - Make asking for stuff personal (and giving easy)
If you start with a personal anecdote, (like we did in step 1) you are already halfway there. To really connect with your adience you can say things like...
- "Now you can help us make it even better",
- "I am sure you want the same level of care for your loved ones"
Now instead of going into a beg for money (or whatever you are asking for), instead just say "Thank you for being a donor! You can go to our web site and..." Notice how we still haven't asked for anything. Of course if you are having a food drive, you might have to at some point explain that a tupperware tub of soup is not really what you are after, but you can again package it in a thank you note. "The people that are doing it rough this winter are grateful for canned soup, a warm blanket, just drop it of at the station and we'll take care of the rest!"
Make it personal, make it easy!
3 - Seal the deal
Now that people have given you something, you should immediately (no really, within 24 hours) give them something back. With systems like RadiYO! it's easy to keep track of who your donors are. Every donation gets logged, be it monetary, a membership (if that is how you fund your operation), a goods donation...
- If they come in, paying in person, wrap the receipt in a thank you note. Write in a personal message and for the love of puppies, spell their name right!
- If the donation comes from your web site, email a thank you note straight away. Write in a personal message and for the love of puppies, spell their name right!
- Wherever the donation comes from, ask if you can thank them on air (or on your next podcast episode). That is your most POWERFUL weapon. YOUR VOICE! Make it a personal message and for the love of puppies, pronounce their name correctly!
BUT WHY?
All thank-yous should be (1) Prompt, (2) Personal, and (3) Powerful (demonstrating the impact of the donor’s gift for the purpose for which they intended). People that have done research into this will tell you that there is nothing as powerful for donor-retention as a good thank you! And donor-retention (the art of keeping people engaged and encourage them to continue giving over time) is significantly more cost-effective than acquiring new givers. By maintaining these relationships, your station or podcast ensure predictable, stable revenue streams, as loyal donors typically increase their contributions over time and frequently transition into passionate advocates.
So when Joanie brings in a blanket for a rough sleeper, and you hand it out, have Jack record a message thanking her for a warmer and softer place to rest his head.