Helping nonprofits turn business relationships into steady revenue | Keynote Speaker | Investor | Husband & Father | 2 Exits |
If I had to rebuild nonprofit impact reporting from scratch today, I wouldn’t start with glossy annual reports. I’d start with: Timing. Because most nonprofits don’t lose donors due to lack of results. They lose them due to lack of memory. Here’s exactly how I’d rebuild donor reporting so it sticks: 1. Respect the 72-hour rule Cognitive science shows memory fades after 3 days. If you wait 3 months to share impact, donors forget the emotional spark that led them to give. Don’t let the moment slip. • Send an update within 72 hours. • Even if it’s raw or imperfect. • Tie it directly to the donor’s gift. Momentum beats polish. 2. Micro-updates, not mega-reports Stop saying: “Wait for our end-of-year report.” Start saying: “Here’s what your gift did this week.” Short videos, quick photos, a 3-line story. Your donors want to feel progress, not sift through 20 pages. 3. Make impact a habit, not an event The best donor journeys are built like fitness routines. Consistent, bite-sized reps, not sporadic marathons. Do this instead: • Weekly “impact snapshots” • Monthly behind-the-scenes notes • Quarterly deep dives (not the other way around) Build rhythm. Build trust. 4. Anchor updates to emotion, not just outcomes Data fades fast. Emotion lingers. • Instead of “We planted 5,000 trees”… Say: “Meet Lucia. She’s breathing cleaner air today because of you.” Stories keep the trigger alive. 5. Create recall moments If you want donors to give again, bring them back to their first spark. • Replay the video that moved them. • Send the photo that made them act. • Use the same language that triggered their gift. Remind them why they cared in the first place. Delayed reporting doesn’t just cost attention. It costs retention. In 2025, donor communication should feel less like PR. And more like a memory anchor. Not an annual report. A living reminder. Comment “retention” and I’ll send you our playbook on how to do all of this using LinkedIn. With purpose and impact, Mario
Thank you. Love these thoughts. Retention.
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Mr Hernandez - what are you showing us in this picture - the folks at the back 🤪 ___ Sorry for leaving you an annual report to plough through - in my previous comment!
Stop saying: “Wait for our end-of-year report." _______ Be honest - if you were in a room full of humans, who would actually relish being handed a report to plough through? That’s homework. Not energising at all. Momentum beats polish - every time, from every horizon you look. Those who know how to build momentum aren’t shackled by academic programming / textbook thinking. There’s no lag in their mind. They toss the textbook aside and move with instinct. The effect? Ehh... Speed, clarity, and a rhythm that pulls others forward before they’ve even caught their breath. You get to outpace polish with progress, and progress compounds. You infuse yourself with a living current that textbooks can’t capture. Having spent a decade in corporate and the next in startups, I’ve lived both sides. What I've come to know is this: the mindsets to build, are worlds apart. To bring a corporate mindset into a startup, non-profit, or fund is like pressing play… but moving in slow motion. _____ Make impact a habit, not an event. 🙌 (Mario, say this one a little louder for the folks at the back) I know there are folks sitting there, asking themselve "what does that mean" Put differently, I'd says Take the job-ness out of the act, and live it.
Diego Ugalde
2w
Mario Hernandez your accumen in this critical part of making the world a better place is a gift to so many. Warriorside is grateful for your guidance and presence🙏🏼🔥
Retention
Social impact communications pro
2wAgreed! Love the LinkedIn tool here: retention