Are You Authentic -- Part 3

So I've talked about understanding your own organizational identity and knowing your audience. Today, I want to talk about the 3rd peg in keeping a nonprofit organization authentic:

Keeping It Real

Your donors have a perception of your organization. If you've done your job right, it's probably pretty close to who you really are.

And because these people are your donors, that perception is one they like. When you reinforce that, they keep coming back for more. So take some time to examine how your donors perceive you.

Do they see your organization as hard-hitting advocates? Policy trendsetters? Caring professionals? Whatever those qualities are, your donors want to see them in every communication you send.

Earlier in the week, I quoted writer and author platform guru Christina Katz about brand vs. identity. Here's another bit of wisdom from her: "Your authenticity makes you memorable and your ability to accept and embrace and share your best attributes makes you magnetic."

When you know your identity, know your audience, and keep those two bits of knowledge in the forefront as you do your work, you're keeping it real. And when you do that, you'll continue to be successful, drawing more like-minded donors, and retaining the ones you already have.