We recently connected with Melissa DeClue and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Melissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry.

If you are a starter nonprofit, relationship building will be the key to unlocking donations that create sustainability for your organization. The current trend that many nonprofit consultants are sharing is taking philanthropy back to the basics and providing transparency along with a positive donor experience.

Recently, I found myself in a fundraising conversation with my closest friend (we’ll call her Jill). It wasn’t intentional, she honestly forgot that fundraising was my day job outside of the parenting routes that I run daily. Either way, we found ourselves talking about it because while we were on the phone she received an email from an organization asking her to give money AFTER she received multiple calls from the organization asking her to give. Jill was upset! She found herself no longer wanting to give to this organization because she was tired of being asked. Her biggest question was, “Do they know I’m in grad school right now?” She promised herself that after she achieved a certain level of success she would give back to those who truly made a difference in her life, she just needed time. It was time that this organization did not provide nor was trying to find out.

Now we didn’t spend the entire conversation bashing the organization, because Jill soon learned that she could take accountability and advocate for herself a little more by informing the organization herself. Which I think is great! Because one thing fundraisers are NOT is a mind-reader. However, we can build strategies around getting to know our community of advocates better. From Jill, she simply wanted options to do it now or later and that be the end. She preferred later, so with that in mind, it gives the organization a chance to build a relationship and position itself as the premier organization in her mind to facilitate her philanthropy in the future.

This is why I continue to offer nonprofits my 5 Guiding Principles for Donor Engagement. When we receipt, acknowledge, invite, provide access, and share impact in a timely yet personal way, we welcome a cycle of engagement and transformative gift-giving to our nonprofit sector.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Melissa DeClue, Founder and Chief Engagement Strategist for Amplify Missions. For more than 10 years, I served in roles with a major focus in building relationships and donor relations. I’m known for my innovative approach to donor relations, stewardship and engagement. I intentionally learned different facets of fundraising/development offices to be efficient in all aspects of a donor’s entry point with an organization.

Like many professionals in the fundraising realm, I didn’t choose fundraising as a childhood profession. In fact, it was Psychology and Dance to be a Body Movement Therapist. Donor relations ultimately appealed to me as a profession because it is an ideal blend of psychology and creative movement to shift human emotion to build deeper relationships and connections through interaction. I’m here to coach and empower the new generation of passionate non-profit founders with the tools to amplify their mission through transformative donor experiences and community-centric strategies. I believe the key to a sustainable non-profit organization is to have a community of advocates that will be invested in pushing forward the mission. This will help you to create louder conversations around your area of advocacy and will make fundraising easier and more efficient.

I have seen so many non-profit organizations being trapped in the fundraising rat race because their goal is to just attract donors and fail to build meaningful relationships with them. The strategic framework I’ve put into place at organizations have led to gifts of over six-figures. That’s why I believe in the power of storytelling and relationships. Over 75% of funding derives from individuals, according to SalesForce, so it is increasingly important to start here….the donor experience.

When we work together I want to have a deep understanding of you, your mission, and your community so we can create a strategy that works specifically for you and your organization. Ultimately, I want to be remembered by you as the coach that helped amplify your mission to create a community of advocates passionate to be part of the solution.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

When I entered my second year of business, I knew that I could no longer hide behind my computer screen. If I wanted to see further success in my business and provide my message to those that needed to hear it, I had to get out. I’ve participated in webinars, been more vocal on social media pages, attended local events, and spoken at conferences. I invested my time and energy into the work that I encourage others…building relationships.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I love doing check-in calls! This is a way for me to find out if the strategies I put into place are operational or a chance to identify areas where we need to continue working together.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.amplifymissions.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/amplify_missions
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/amplifymissions
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissajonesm-ed/

Image Credits
Lashay Price Paige Stiles