Improve Donor Personalization by Removing Prefixes from your Communications
There has been a lot of healthy conversation about the appropriate use of pronouns in the non-profit space. The first rule of non-profit fundraising should be: if a donor tells you they want to be referred to in a certain way, you do it.
When I was a kid, I had two “old great aunts” who lived in New York City. Okay, maybe they were in their mid-fifties when I was a kid, but to me – they were old. That said, neither of them ever married and they lived together their entire lives. While we didn’t see them very often, you could set your clock to our annual birthday gifts from Aunt Catherine and Aunt Sally. Each year, a brand new, crisp, clean $10 bill made its way into my hands. My parents were torturous people who insisted that every gift was acknowledged with a handwritten thank you note, and so it went.
One year, I proudly addressed the outside of the envelope, “Ms. Catherine Buckley” and my mother just about had a heart attack. “She’s not a “Ms.; she’s a Miss,” I remember my mother saying.When I asked what the difference was, I think my mom had a hard time explaining it and I now don’t recall the explanation; however, there is something to be learned from this interaction.
For those of us of a certain age, writing a proper business letter was ingrained into our brain. The format, the spelling, the Mr. and Mrs., but it’s important we stop doing that. Not only is using prefixes presumptive but also puts you at risk of offending someone. Certainly mismatching preferred pronouns with incorrect prefixes is a nightmare waiting to happen. Don’t take the risk!
Instead, address letters and mailings using the recipient’s name. For example, when writing a letter to yours truly (me), use “Michael J. Buckley” — skip assuming I’m a “Mr.”
Tracking how your donors and contacts like to be referred allows your organization to improve communication by acting in a more personalized, custom way. For example, a letter starting “Dear Mike” is a lot more personal than “Dear Mr. Buckley.” Furthermore, if a donor has a preferred nickname that they have provided to you or your organization, use it!
About the Author
Michael J. Buckley, CFRE is a career fundraising professional and Founder and Managing Partner of The Killoe Group. His firm assists nonprofit organizations increase revenue, exposure and capacity through smart, data driven, successive decisions and effective planning. Mike’s experience and passion for the profession of fundraising have made him a sought-after speaker, consultant and presenter. The Killoe Group’s broad experiences include annual campaign audits and management, capital campaign leadership, feasibility studies, interim program leadership, board governance, strategic planning and capacity building.