Help People Donate Anonymously
Written by niki juhasz
I’ll say it – things are pretty 🍌 bananapants 👖right now.
That means we have to adjust how we work and what we share to meet the moment.
That’s why today, we’re talking about a new challenge we’re seeing under the current administration – along with your specific next steps to adjust.
the challenge: donor fear of retribution
New data tells us that some donors - including many major donors - are nervous about retribution for supporting “liberal” causes. They’re worried they’ll be named on a list that then ends up on President Trump’s desk of revenge.
And since what counts as “liberal” is very much up for debate, they may be cautious about all sorts of giving, from supporting organizations that focus on equity in education, to pro choice advocates and beyond. As a result, some donors are entering “freeze mode” and pausing support altogether.
🛑Before moving on, I feel like we have to acknowledge the elephant in this email. Donors shouldn't have to be scared to give to the causes they care about. You – the incredible nonprofits and advocates working with children and families – shouldn’t have to find solutions to address this fear. Unfortunately, this is our current reality. Your work needs donors to continue with their giving, because the work you do is critical to the well-being of our communities. That’s why our commitment to you is that we’ll be here, helping you meet this moment, no matter what. If that means finding workarounds for now, we’re going to do it. Our children need your programs, and our families deserve the help you provide.
the solution: sharing donation options
I don’t know about you, but we’ve never been in quite this situation before – so it’s time to update our processes to meet donors and supporters where they are, right now. Since some supporters are worried about public donations, share your anonymous donation options, loud and clear. Here’s what we recommend.
Start here: Update your donation language, everywhere. Are you set up for anonymous or private donations? Make sure your prospective donors know about it!
Highlight these options on your “donate now” page. Ensure people can easily find language about these options – don’t bury one sentence in the middle of a paragraph.
Share exactly how you protect your donors’ data and privacy. Outline the specific anonymous/private giving options and what happens next. Helping donors imagine just how secure your giving platform is can go a long way.
Make it easy to donate anonymously on your donor form. For example, this could be a checkbox toward the beginning of the form.
Next up: Share push communications about anonymous donation options. Many of your audiences won’t know much about making anonymous donations – because they’ve never had to worry about it before! Create a campaign during which you share about it in multiple ways. This could include:
A series of social media posts
A physical postcard to all donors in your database
A text blast
An email marketing campaign
A popup on your website
Including it in your donor materials overall
Asking your board members to talk about it
Once someone donates: Reinforce their decision immediately – and give them options to stay in touch. For example, if your anonymous donation option means you DON’T gather a person’s email address, you won’t be able to say thank you the way you usually might. Say thank you in the message that pops up on the screen after they donate. Let them know just how much you appreciate their support, and also what options they have for keeping in touch. IE your call to action could be signing up for your newsletter!
Finally: repeat, repeat, repeat. You’ve heard it from us before: your audiences need to hear the same or similar message up to seven times for it to resonate. Keep sharing reminders about your anonymous donation options and security.
In a bananapants world, we’re right here with the logical solutions. And we know you’ve got this.
