The “You” Test: Would Your Nonprofit Pass?

Donor-centric messaging is a key component of successful donor appeals and stewardship. Donor-centric messaging focuses on donor motivations and needs, rather than your organization’s, and makes the donor the hero of the story. These communications illustrate the direct impact their gifts make–rather than an advertisement of your organization’s success and desperate need of money.

But how do you know if your messaging is truly donor-centric? One simple way to check is to conduct a “You” Test.

The “You” Test is simple - just print out all your donor communications from the last 6-9 months. Print a copy of every fundraising appeal, thank you letter, event invitation, newsletter, etc. Also print your most recent annual report, grant reports, and a copy of all website verbiage. Then, grab a colored pen and get ready to read.

Read through everything your donors have seen recently. Circle each time “you” appears in the text. Include any version of “you”: your, you’ll, yours, you’ve, yourself, etc.

Next, re-read your text and underline every version of “we”: our, we’ve, we’d, ours, us, etc.

Now look at your results.

If your communications are littered with circled “you” words, and they outnumber your underlined “we” words, you’ve passed the test!

If you see few “you” words, or the “we” words outnumber “you”, you’ve failed. BUT, there’s an easy way to fix this!

“You” is an extremely powerful word. “You” directly engages the reader and keeps them glued to the text to see what comes next. Using “you” words throughout your messaging can make a huge difference in your fundraising efforts.

Constantly look for ways to frame messaging around the donor and her impact. Make the donor the hero of the story, and reap the rewards of a dedicated and motivated partner for success.

If you want to shift to donor-centric messaging but need extra support, contact us to learn how we can help.

Click HERE to learn 28 donor-centric alternatives to “Donate Now”.