Tell Your Donors How You've Spent Their Money

When was the last time you told your donors how you spent their donations?

 

From the salaries you pay the people who power your programs, to the snacks you buy at Costco to restock your fridge - believe me - donors want to know.

 

Trust in nonprofits among donors is on decline. According to the most recent Trust in Civil Society Report, nonprofits remain one of the most trusted institutions, but – trust declined from 56% to 52% in 2023.

One of my theories of why: nonprofits rarely talk about how they spend donations.


You can fix that by being transparent.


We are in June – basically halfway through the year 🤯. That’s why now is a great time to tell your donors how you've spent their money.


I encourage you to send out an email to your donors with the exact dollar amounts of where their donations are going.


Here’s how the nonprofit Mijente did it:

 
 

Impact you should talk about:

✅ Salaries: Is your nonprofit powered by people? Tell your donors.

✅ Operations: Did you just buy a new printer, replace light bulbs, or invest in AC to make your program run smoother? Tell your donors.

✅ Snacks: Did your org cover food/snacks for your members? Tell your donors (donors love covering food).

 

More ideas:

  • Program related

  • Travel expenses

  • Professional development expenses

  • Celebration expenses

  • Gifts

  • Board expenses

It truly doesn't matter what your expenses are.

Stop trying to act like your nonprofit doesn't spend money because you do. You are just making your fundraising job harder.

I know what you’re probably thinking, “Jess, how the heck do I write an email like this in a way that feels genuine and not yucky?”

I’ve done the hard part and written an email template for you inside the Fundraising Template Membership – all you have to do is fill in the blanks. Join the Membership for $11 a month and get more emails like this written for you, by me. Once you join, you’ll get instant access to our vault of 30+ templates.

Here’s a sneak preview of the template:

 
 

Since starting the Fundraising Template Membership back in October, we have nearly 100 members and a bank of over 30+ templates that grows every week. 

 

In a nutshell, this membership is more valuable than it was 8 months ago…a truth that will only increase the more templates that get added. 

 

Because of that - I've decided that every 100 people that join, the price will increase $2. 

 

That means there are 10 spots left to join at the Founding Member Price of $11/month and then it will increase to $13/month. 

 

Want to snag on of the remaining $11/month spots? Join today! 

advice, communication, donors, stewardshipJessica CampbellComment