Evangelists, volunteers, advocates, supporters, donors... Whatever you call them, make sure that they understand what you do, where and how you do it and why...

This might seem like a very basic point but it's true that some of the people that charities rely on for support do, on occasion, not have a baldy about what you actually do or more crucially, what you aspire to achieve through their support.

I call these folks your Volvocates - not avid Volvo drivers, rather the people that drive your organisation's public campaigning, fund your activities and ensure that you can continue to serve your clients. VIPs say the least.

Failure to educate and engage your Volvocates is a big problem when you're competing with other causes for their cash, their political support, their time and their hearts. It's also a big problem when you consider that you are entrusting your brand to them. Volvocates occupy a unique position in your organisation in that they are often the face of your cause, acting with minimal intervention and with every opportunity to either elevate or desecrate your brand. On the flip side, they are your donors and as we know, donors are hard to get and easy to lose.

Here's some tips on how to draw strength from your Volvocates, elevate your organisation's reputation and maintain long term engagement.

Talk to them, brief them, find out what they want and what ever you do, invest time and money in your brand. It's not enough to be a good cause, you have to be the best cause, with the best Volvocates, staff and outcomes. 

1) Arm them with relevant information about your organisation in bite sized chunks which they can easily remember, this is really important if they are working in shops and on the street fundraising. If people want to ask questions about your organisations, you need to make sure that your volunteers aren't struck down with stage fright if they're asked "where can I get information?"

2) Ask them what their understanding is of your organisation and what you want to achieve. Where there are gaps, never be to nervous to address this, remember your brand is in their hands. This is really important when working with political supporters, they can take your organisation to the next level, so make sure that they know your "product" and service well enough, you could be in for a rough ride if they don't!

3) Ask them what they really want to get from their engagement with your organisation, dig a bit deeper to understand their motivations and if you can, match them to relevant roles that you have. You never know when you might find a PR guru, a law expert, researcher or a brilliant decorator who can spruce up your office. The more you invest in getting to know who supports you and why, the better you will understand the likely longevity of your relationship.

4) Invest in your brand's future by making sure that you are engaging with the very type of person that you want to get on board. So if your organisation aspires to engage young professionals as supporters, make sure that your marketing activities and most crucially, your message, are relevant to their lifestyle and their aspirations. Get your policy bods in on the action too, their data puts the meat on the bones of your communications.

Put simply, you'll connect so much more easily when there is a clear correlation between the supporter and the cause.

To find out more about how  you can get more from all your supporters, give me a call.