How Collaboration Between Marketing & Fundraising Departments Can Lead to Optimal Donor Experiences

The lines between responsibilities and budgets of the marketing and fundraising departments can often blur at nonprofits. Although each department brings important and unique assets to an organization, when they align and work together, they can create a more impactful experience for constituents. In this episode, Pursuant CEO, Trent Ricker spoke with Sue Citro, Chief Experience Officer at Best Friends Animal Society about ways leaders can encourage collaboration between the fundraising and marketing departments to create optimal stewardship experiences. As Chief Experience Officer, Sue ensures that the marketing communications, fundraising, and experience teams are working in unison to create the best experience possible for donors and people who interact with Best Friends Animal Society. Where should stewardship live? “I lead a team that is a three-legged stool,” Sue explains. “Development is one of the legs, marketing communications is the second and experience is the third. We have stewardship pulled out from marketing and development, but we are all part of one bigger team together.” By pulling stewardship out of the fundraising department, Sue believes it encourages people in all departments of the organization to participate in stewardship. According to Best Friends, 4.6 million cats and dogs entered animal shelters in 2021 alone. These numbers make the work they do critically important and their focused efforts on stewardship have allowed them to gain and retain donors and volunteers. Here’s how they do it: Sue’s Stewardship Sauce: Saying thank you “It is cool to say thank you,” said Sue. Taking the time to thank your donors and volunteers at all levels will make them feel valued and continue working with your organization. Emails and calls Emailing and calling donors and volunteers to say thank you is the bare minimum. Sue suggests getting creative with these calls. At Best Friends, her staff has received notoriety for their points of contact by letting constituents know exactly where their money is going by introducing the dog their donation helped keep alive for example. Engaging with new donors and keeping them as long-term donors Rather than exclusively writing to high-value donors, Sue writes thank you notes to new donors on a daily basis. She says letting them know we value them and are excited to have them there is key to retention. Creating unique experiences Creating a memorable experience for constituents is vital to every organization. At Best Friends, donors can feed pigs and regularly engage with the animals they are helping support. This leaves a lasting impact and lets them see first-hand the value of their contribution. Put yourself in the constituents’ shoes If you were a donor or volunteer, how would you want to be treated? What experiences come to mind and how can you make that happen for your supporters? Sue suggests actually asking your constituents and putting their feedback into action. Sue says keeping the constituent journey at top of mind rather than getting caught up in “what marketing does” or “what fundraising does” will lead to the best outcome.