5 Strategies to Create an Unforgettable Donor Experience

Call it what you want, I am a sucker for Disney. I get swept away by the magic just as much as a child does. I remember the first time I visited Disneyland as a college student. Between the entry gates and Main Street, a sign reads, “Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy.” It’s the official welcome to the magical world you are about to encounter.

I’ll hand it to Disney, they work hard to create an unforgettable, immersive experience for park visitors. From start to finish, I live it through all of my senses. The fanciful designs. The delectable smells. The catchy tunes. The tasty treats. The spotless surfaces. Every single impression draws me deeper and deeper into the story.

It’s why Disney has a 70% return rate! I definitely wanted to experience it all again. 

As a fundraiser, I can’t help but imagine if that was your donor retention rate! Wouldn’t we all love a 70% return rate?!

So, how do you keep your donors coming back for more? 

Walt Disney once said, “Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.”

There’s no doubt about it; Disney consistently creates top-quality experiences. It continually tries new things in innovative ways to foster deep relationships with its fans. 

Did you see that - the magic word? Relationship. 

As fundraisers, we understand the importance of building relationships, and we must work diligently to nurture them. Disney’s success is built on creating and deepening relationships. And that starts with the experience.

Creating an Unforgettable Donor Experience

We can learn a lot from a mouse. We’ve pulled out five strategies inspired by Disney that you can use to create memorable donor experiences.

1. It takes a team. Walt may be the vision behind the ears, but he knew that he needed to involve and empower a team of people to get the job done. A donor experience shouldn’t start and end just with the development department. You’ve probably heard the phrase in the non-profit sphere: “Everyone in the organization is a fundraiser.” Not everyone necessarily has a donor portfolio or is actively seeking donations, but everyone should be involved in executing the donor experience.
   
   Your program staff can lead tours, engage participants in creating donor gifts, assist at events, take photos, and gather stories of impact. Your board can write thank-you notes, make personal phone calls, or visit with a donor.  

2. Spend time where the magic happens. It was well documented that Walt would go incognito in the parks. He stood in lines, rode the rides, interacted with the cast members, and noshed on the snacks. Being part of the action gives you a different perspective and helps you understand what happens and how it unfolds. It provides you with a perspective that will help you communicate to your donors how their support is changing lives. 

3. Make it memorable. Disney’s attention to detail is impeccable. I remember standing in the queue with my then-six- and 11-year-old daughters for Radiator Springs Racers in California Adventure. It took more than an hour of our day, but we were taken through a series of dusty garages complete with vintage oil cans, car parts, and aluminum signs, fully immersing us in the experience. 
   
   When it comes to your donors, don’t skip out on the details. Want your donors to personally experience the impact of their giving? Invite them to spend time seeing your programs in action or volunteer within your programming. Having an intimate, firsthand experience within your organization helps bring the mission to life.

4. Make it personal. If it’s your first time at a Disney park or you are celebrating a milestone, you get a special button to wear to make you feel like a VIP while you stroll around the grounds. After our last visit to Disney World, we received a personalized email thanking our family for the visit within a day. It was a small but impactful gesture that made us feel special.
   
   It’s that personal touch that can make your donor feel like a VIP, too. Take time to learn about them. When you send out mail or email appeals, remember that your donors have a name and don’t want to feel like just another person. Personalize your correspondence as much as possible. Communications platforms make it easy to at least insert first names into letters, emails, and even subject lines.
   

5. Keep it tidy. You will not travel more than 30 feet in a Disney park before you encounter a trash can. I learned that Walt valued a clean environment for guests and determined that a trash can should always be within 30 feet of a customer to deter littering. 
   
   Take the same approach with your donors; keep your communications with them clean and tidy. Watch for spelling errors, especially with their names. If something is printed with a smudge or other obvious defect, take the time to fix it and reprint it. Donors will notice when things get messy. You want your communications to be memorable in a positive way, not because there were obvious mistakes.

Just as Walt Disney knew that providing a top-quality experience leads to growth, you can offer your donors a meaningful experience that will encourage them to keep coming back.