YMCA Online User Group Members To Donors

Three Steps to Converting
Three Steps to Converting
Members to Donors

Members to Donors
Friday, March 23, 2007
Jim Bush, CFRE
Mary Tucker, YMCA of Greater Charlotte

Presented by:
Jim Bush, CFRE
Kevin Kreamer

YMCA Online User Group
Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Three Steps to Converting Members to Donors

Objectives:
1. Learn how to use the opportunities you have with members every day
to engage in Storytelling.

2. Learn to build member connectedness by listening and collecting the
right information.

3. See how the systems you already have in place are conducive to
converting members to donors—in a way that is especially attractive
to members of all economic levels.

Attendees should gain several ‘quick win take-aways’ that can be
easily implemented at your own Y

YMCA Online User Group | Jim Bush | Page #2


1) Learn how to use the opportunities you have with
members every day to engage in Storytelling

It has to begin with your staff (every staff person)

– They cover so much more ground than you ever will

• Hire for it…..Continually train for it
• Mission Moments – at every opportunity
• Staff has to walk the talk
• Make Storytelling part of your culture

Membership studies show that our members aren’t hearing ‘The Story’




QUICK WIN TAKE – AWAY:
Mission Moment Exercise – Begin all meetings with a volunteer or staff
member sharing a mission moment. It becomes contagious after a while!



It begins before someone becomes a member

– What story does your facility tell? Your staff?

– Tours & Orientation

– Telling stories in the membership packet

– If your staff believes in the mission…they can make the ask

– Strategy extends to non-member participants




Audit your facilities, membership/program materials and website.
What story is your YMCA telling?



Marketing is an integral part of telling the story of your
mission

– There needs to be a definitive plan that is consistent and
integrated with your mission

– The messaging has to be consistent with what’s happening at the
branches/centers

– Reach out to your members in ways to which they will respond

– Marketing cannot happen only during the campaign



Remember…

– Tell your Y’s story from day one, as often as you can, in as many
different ways as you can to as many members (and non-
members too) as possible

– Use your marketing to reinforce your mission. But, marketing
cannot replace staff and volunteers



2) Learn to build member connectedness by listening
and collecting the right information
When you listen you can capture information about the
interests, motivations and passions of our prospects

– Who is listening?

– What are you listening for?

– How will you use the information we gather?

– What external data do you need to supplement the profile?




Develop a simple profile template/survey that makes it
easy for program/membership staff to capture member info
and share with the development office



It begins with pre-members
– As you tell your Y’s story, you should listen as much as you talk
(maybe even more)

– “You can workout anywhere, but you belong at the Y”

– Make sure you know what information you want to collect – train
your staff to ask the right questions

– Always follow up and ask more questions




Develop Y stories that all staff and volunteers can easily communicate

Collect information needed to match your pre-member with your mission and
with their interests



What do you do with new members?
– First, you have to know who your new members are

– Create a system that touches new members often and solicits
appropriate feedback

• Welcome letter
• One-month, two-month, three-month follow up letters, calls
• Satisfaction survey (which gathers much more than just satisfaction)
• Anecdotal information collected by staff




Develop relationships with new members right away
Gather and refine information to match their interests with your needs



Veteran members can tell you lots without saying a word
– Use the membership and program information about members

– Are veteran members giving? What percentage donates?

– Develop a process for staff and volunteers to provide you with
information about members (the front desk staff person who sees
the early AM swimmer every morning…)

– Use your veteran members to collect information from your new
members (Ambassador program)



3) Leverage existing systems to convert members
to donors
It’s about people, process and technology
– Think of your staff and volunteers as a system through which you
can gather information

– Reward people for the information they give you

– Continually train staff and volunteers to tell your Y’s story and to
collect current, relevant information

– Complete the circle – let your staff and volunteers see how their
efforts help bring in dollars



to donors
– Staff and volunteers must have an easy way to convey the
information they gather (and they must know what information is
important)

– Only collect the information you know you need and can actually
use – this should change as your initiatives change

– Processes should work with all staff and volunteers, not just
program directors and board members



to donors


– Wouldn’t it be great if your membership database talked to your
development database?

– If you cannot do this, pull information out of both systems and use
tools like Excel, Word, Access to compile information and make it
available to query

– Personal asks, matched to member interest and giving
preferences will result in more, larger gifts, especially if you tell
the Y story!



3) Leverage existing systems to convert members to
donors

Combine membership and program information,
along with personal information to
target the right ask for the right purpose



3) Finally, make the ask!

The ask can be done in many ways
– In person
– By phone
– During an event
– By direct mail
– Through a newsletter

Give options for giving that match donors’ preferences
– One-time gift
– Recurring gift (small gifts, more often = bigger money)
– Planned gifts
– Capital pledge



For more discussion….

http://forums.blackbaud.com/forums/35.aspx


YMCA Online User Group Members To Donors

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