The obvious choice

The art of great constituent relationship management is simple: helping each person to take the next step in their relationship with your mission.

Yes, it's simple — but it's usually not easy.

That's because you have people in a vast range of situations:

• First time website visitors

• New members

• Long-time volunteers

• One-time donors

• Service recipients on the cusp of program graduation

• Budding mission advocates

• Internal staff, both the new and the veterans

• ... the list goes on.

The hard part, from where you stand, is seeing the world from where they stand.

But if you can do that — and with some consistent effort, I believe you can — the next part is fairly easy:

Help them to see the value of taking that next step.
Make that next step easy for them.
Make it the obvious choice.

They won't all take that step. Some will slip away.

But when that happens, don't let it be because they couldn't see what was next.

Make sure you know what that next step is. And then make sure they know.

Make it the obvious choice.

All the best,
A.