You're Invited! Part 2

In my previous article I wrote about the power of an invitation. Read Here.

In summary, the idea is that if we want to get to know our donors, to thank them properly and to help them grow in their relationship with our ministries, we need to meet them. Inviting them to things is a great way to do this. Even if they say NO to an invitation, there's still power in your supporter just knowing they had the opportunity. Don't be discouraged when you get a no. (Or, perhaps, better described as a “Not Now”).

This time we’re going to get more practical with some thoughts on specific opportunities for your radio ministry.

Mass Opportunities

If you're a local radio station, you have a super-power. You can invite all your supporters to come and see your station. Regularly present the opportunity to take a tour, meet the DJs and have a chance to see behind the scenes of the place they support. You can even create a donor wall they can sign, or other similar experience to make it extra special.

COVID introduced new opportunities as we all got more comfortable and creative with Virtual Events. If you have a virtual interview or meet-up opportunity with an artist, you could invite donors to watch it on a zoom call—turn your interview into more of a "webinar" with an audience that can enjoy it and maybe even submit some questions as part of the interview.

You can’t invite everybody to everything.

You don’t have the ability to build a relationship with everyone. You need to set some parameters. While you want to be available to every donor, you can’t serve all of them the same way. On a webinar I attended, Paul Martin at Hope Media Group suggested a segmentation strategy for communication that I thought was excellent: You have your top 100 donors, then those who give double your average gift, then your average gift donors, and then everyone else. While every donor is of vital importance, this is one example of a way of prioritizing when it comes to invitations. There are always exceptions, like volunteers, advertisers/underwriters, or other key supporters, even if not key financial contributors.

Exclusive Opportunities

These unique opportunities could be randomly offering to stop by and drop off a T-Shirt or gift, a meet and greet with an artist, an invitation to lunch or coffee, or even tickets to a sporting event or a round of golf. (You don’t have to be a golfer—I've had a lot of success with Top Golf). I've even had a member of my team invite a supporter to grab a manicure. Whatever it takes to get face-to-face with your supporters is key here.

What do I do when I have limited seats available?

If I have 10 tickets for a concert available, I might do an exclusive drawing to all donors for 2 or 4 of the tickets. Then after the drawing is completed, comb the list for any donors I want to specifically reach out to and give them the remaining tickets.

For smaller events, or if you only have a few tickets, you may be a little more selective. In this scenario you might personally invite 10-15 people for the tickets. On your invite you let them know that you’d love them to come but you have also invited a few other people as well because you don't want the tickets to go to waste. Encourage them to get back to you ASAP if they want them.

You might say, “I don’t want to disappoint them if they respond too late!!!”

It’s true, you may have to sadly tell a few people that they were too late to get them. Remember even in the disappointment you have helped them feel special because of that personal invitation. You've also engaged with them in a conversation. Often just getting a response is most of the battle. Don't waste the interaction! You can engage them by replying with an "I'm so sorry all the tickets are already gone, would you like to grab coffee or lunch instead, or is there another event coming up that you'd be interested in going to?"

Whatever you do, just remember that a face-to-face meeting is the most powerful interaction you can have. It’s the best way for you to truly get to know your donor on a personal level. It takes your ministry from something they love in the car, to something much deeper. Keep inviting, not only will it help you connect more with how God is working through your ministry, but it will also help deepen your relationship and retention of the supporters you have.

Once you have the face-to-face opportunity, my friend David Baker from Giving Design LLC gave me a great list of questions to ask them to help you get started:

• What prompted you to give to the station/radio ministry?
• How has the Holy Spirit used the songs or the DJs to touch your life?
• When and where do you listen?
• Who’s your favorite artist? Favorite song? [If they get really excited about the music and you have a Music Team of listeners you use to get feedback on new songs, invite them to join that team.]
• Tell me about your family? [If they have kids – ask for their ages and about their school and extra-curricular activities.]
• Are you active in a local church? If so, which one, how long, what’s your favorite thing about it? [If they say no and you have a list of local churches, ask if they’d like you to send it to them. You can also invite them to join you the next Sunday at your church.]
• If you have down time, what’s your favorite thing to do?
• Do you have a favorite restaurant in town?
• Which social media platform do you use/like most? Do you follow us there?
• What’s a normal week look like for you? [I like this question rather than, “What do you do for a living?” Or “Where do you work?” You’ll likely learn the work answer and much more.]
• When is your birthday so we can celebrate with you? [We send DJ-signed birthday cards to those whose birthday we know.]
• How can I pray for you? May I share that request with our team? [If you have a prayer wall or other related resource, share that fact with them for the future.]

Now, don’t try to ask them all in the first one-on-one meeting, but this should give you a place to start. Take notes on your phone so you can add what you learn to their record in your donor database. Remember, invitations are glue for your supporters. It should be a primary strategy in your stewardship plan. If you have any other great invitation ideas or opportunities – please share them in the comments