With the global pandemic of the past few months, all of us have experienced the importance of relationships and the challenge of maintaining them when we can’t be together face to face.
In my own life, my wife has been in an assisted living facility suffering from advanced Parkinson’s disease. She is fortunate to receive cards and letters from long-time friends and family to help her stay connected, but she struggles to open the envelopes. Her failing eyesight makes it difficult to read these thoughtful and sincere messages. So, once a week on our date night, I gather the cards and letters and read the messages to her. These notes from long-time friends always make her days better.
It is clear to me that simple, consistent communication is essential to maintaining long-term relationships.
We all know one goal of a charity’s stewardship program should be to treat donors like family. As part of a full communications strategy, consider adding easy-to-handle and simple-to-read postcards for your oldest donor segment. Envelopes can be difficult for older donors to open, and handwritten notes can be hard to read, just as they are for my wife.
A simple, large-format postcard with a short message, larger fonts and bright colors is inexpensive to print and mail, and those selected to receive the postcard can be segmented by gender, marital status and other selections. A piece with a fold-over flap that could be detached as a response card with prepaid postage is another excellent option.
Sharpe Group can recommend selection criteria as well as create the content, design and layout for these types of communications. During these unprecedented times, it’s more important than ever to maintain donor relationships in the most effective and cost-efficient manner.
All the best,
Jim Ross
Chairman, CEO
