Complaints and ‘lost loves’ are not irritating. They provide a powerful microscope in to the mindset of your supporters and can help your charity or nonprofit tackle supporter churn:
1) Change your mindset on complaints, these are slivers of peoples’ truths, not an irritation to be dealt with.
2) What are the top complaints logged by your Supporter Care team? Your CEO is paid too much. Is this a question of fairness, perceived fairness, communications or something else. Dig in deep.
3) What are the main attacks you face on social media? Move beyond individual tweets and messages, and instead look for trends. Think of these as one indicator of the health of your charity.
4) Do you ever stop and ask those who didn’t donate, why? Ask.
5) Ask everyone who stops donating by direct debit two questions as part of the ‘Exit’ journey. “What advice would you give us to improve the way we care for donors like you?” and “What, if anything, could we do now to keep your invaluable support?”
