It might work with roses, but if you address a donor with a name other than what he indicated as his preferred addressee/salutation, you're not likely to get the same positive response. I realize it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but when someone addresses me as "Sara" without the h, I'm caught in a brief identity crisis (Sara who?) and less inclined to appreciate the content of their actual message.
The same thing applies to your donors. Whenever you send a mailing, your message can significantly drop in value (or be completely overlooked) if you address them incorrectly. A huge part of fundraising is developing relationships with your constituents and making personal connections whenever you can. Get the name wrong and that connection may be short-lived.
So how do you avoid this obvious-yet-sneaky pitfall?
- Make sure the names on the record are right.
- When adding new constituents to your database, be sure to spend a moment on the Addressees/Salutations tab. The bulk of your mailings will probably use the Primary Addressee and Primary Salutations fields, so verify the correct addressee/salutation formulas (BB26317) from Configuration are selected, or if using the Editable? checkbox, double-check for any possible spelling errors. (Don't forget the h!)
- If some of your mailings use additional addressees or salutations (BB96322) (e.g., for less formal or spouse-specific letters), make sure the right Type has been selected since this is what you'll use to pull in the corresponding name within the mailing. Note: Addressing Robert as "Bob" may establish a sense of comradery or cause offense if he never okayed a less formal approach, so just be sure the name matches up with the donor's preference, when known.
- Lastly, for donors with especially long names, it may be helpful to do a quick test for label truncation (BB103702) to see if another addressee/salutation type would be preferable.
- Choose the correct addressee/salutation in your mailing.
When you're ready to prepare the actual mailing, select which addressee/salutation to use (BB386294) on the Fields to Include tab. The Raiser's Edge defaults to using constituents' individual names (e.g., Robert Hernandez), which isn't the end of the world, but this is where you can add a more personal touch.
Using the right name will help your mailings get off on a good start, though this is just one small part of relationship builidng. Please feel free to share other techniques you've developed within mailings, data entry, etc. for making more personal connections.
Happily yours,
Sarah
Yes, you read the title correctly...this is my first post and I wanted to catch your attention!
My husband and I occasionally tackle home improvement projects together. I have the vision. He brings the vision to life. He also likes to take shortcuts that can lead to trouble. So I have to remind him (usually in the truck on the way to Lowe's after the crown moulding is cut too short and we need to replace it) to "measure twice and cut once."
So what does home improvement have to do with The Raiser's Edge? You can apply the same philosophy to how you manage your data and add new processes.
Let's say your organization is in the planning phase of a capital campaign. Your VP for Advancement has a vision. She wants to track prospective feasiblity study candidates through the life of the campaign. You are responsible for bringing her vision to life. So measure twice...cut once.
Measure Once - Design the process. You need to figure out the details. What information do you want to capture and how do you want to use it so that it will meet the objectives set by your VP? Think about what you need to get out of Raiser's Edge before you put information in. Set up the process based on those needs.
Measure Twice - Test the process. You designed your process, so now you want to make sure it works. Use your sample database. Add the details of your design - the information you want to track - to Bob's record. Make Bob Hernandez a feasibility study prospect. Create attributes, add code table entries, run reports and queries, create an export, send Bob a letter. Test every aspect of your design from identifying Bob as a feasibility study prospect, to sending him an invitation for the interview, to scheduling the meeting, to asking him to be your campaign chair, to soliciting him for a leadership gift and so on.
Cut Once - Implement the process. You designed your process. You tested your design. Now it's time to roll it out and enter data in your live database. You should have no worries. You measured twice and will make the first cut a success. The vision is realized.
Next post...."oooaaahh, Newman!"