Donor Loyalty and Retention are really on our minds in 2019, especially after perusing the latest fundraising data from FEP report. So how about this idea, cultivating donor loyalty, building retention, and all the while, building a planned giving marketing program? Sound super efficient and rewarding to you at the smaller nonprofit shops? Stand by for some great tips!
Category: Building Donor Loyalty
Building donor trust and loyalty is a Development Directors main focus. Whether you call it stewardship or retention, it is the answer to fundraising success.
Love Those Lapsed Donors Back Now
February is the month for romance so instead of romancing the stone, romance those lost donors back to your mission! Here are tips from a few different expert sources to help you win lapsed donors back this month!
MAGIC WORDS FOR FABULOUS YEAR END FUNDRAISING RESULTS
Use these magic words in your year-end emails and love your fundraising results because these words really do work!
Live Review of Those NonProfit Cards and Letters
The Mailbox is absolutely full of the nonprofit cards and letters now and here at Blockbuster we’re taking some time today to go over and pick out best ideas to borrow now in time for year-
Excellent ONLINE Checklist for YearEnd Fundraising
Use this excellent checklist when crafting your OnLine annual appeals for the best fundraising results you’ve ever produced.
You’ll definitely want to review this Online Checklist for ultimate year-end fundraising success!
A WINNING NEW DONOR WELCOME KIT
Most new donors will never give again, 70% to be more specific! So how do you keep them and turn them into loyal advocates for your cause?
Follow these brilliant steps from the New Welcome Plan Save the Children has put together! It Works!
And put together a welcome plan now in time for those #GivingTuesday new donors you are going to acquire this year!
4th Quarter Calls for Donor Retention & Upgrading
Retain and upgrade
Did you know that Individual donors account for 72% of all giving? Just think of how much more you could raise if you could retain and upgrade all of your donors. The sky is the limit! It is essential that you take the necessary steps to not only keep your donors but to encourage them to give more.
How to Retain Your Donors
Your current donors are your low hanging fruit, your easiest targets. You already know they are invested in your cause and they care about your mission. However, if you don’t handle them correctly, they could very easily take their donations elsewhere. Here’s how to keep them:
APPRECIATE THEM!
Organize a call unit to make phone calls to thank them for their past donations. Mention how grateful your organization is for their support in each appeal letter. Make sure they feel special and valued.
TELL THEM HOW THEY MADE A DIFFERENCE.
What did you do with the last gift your donor sent you? Did it pay for 10 children to attend camp? Buy food for 20 families? Sharing the tremendous impact that your donor made on the lives of others will not only make them feel good about their last gift, it will make them eager to give again!
How to Upgrade Your Donors
A sure way to raise more money for your cause without even having to find more donors is to get your current donors to give more. Some donors tend to send the same check year after year, while others may jump around based on their personal situation. Here are a few ideas for getting them to upgrade:
SUGGESTED GIVING LEVELS
How will your donor ever know that you could really use $150 instead of the $100 they’ve been sending every year? Simply suggesting a higher gift amount is sure to get your donor to at least consider upgrading. As long as it is done respectfully and thoughtfully, you’ll never offend a donor by suggesting a higher gift amount.
USE SPECIFIC DATA
Use specific numbers, goals, and costs when suggesting a donor increase their gift. Tell them why you need it and what it will do. Justify your ask.
MOVES MANAGEMENT
The most important thing you can do to upgrade your donors is develop a good moves management program. Look through your donor data and chart out who you plan to upgrade and how you plan to get there. Then, of course, make sure you follow your plan!
How to Handle Downgrades
Some donors are going to downgrade. That’s life. Maybe they were hit with unexpected bills, a job change, or felt like they needed to spend more of their donation dollars somewhere else. Regarding these donors with care and respect is vital. Don’t lose these donors!
RECOGNITION
Form a recognition society based on longevity of giving. This will make your donors realize that they are still important to you. They’ll want to keep on giving to stay in the “club.”
COMMUNICATION
Keep the lines of communication open. Make sure they are still receiving information about your programs and the impact of their donation. You could even explore other methods of giving from in-kind gifts to planned giving.
Keep Your New Donors With This New Donor Welcome Kit
As nonprofits, we know how many new donors and first time donors get away! We lose them folks, 70% never show up again! We need to welcome them with open arms immediately and turn them into interested, cared-for donors! Here are proven strategies and examples that work wonders!
Are You Celebrating Your Donors?
Time to CELELBRATE! Celebrate Your DONORS and Celebrate Donor Milestones!
Got really inspired by Donor Relations Guru’s blog, “Celebrating Donor Milestones-Reasons to Ring the Bell” and you’re gonna love these inspired ideas! And better than that, so will your donors! Celebrate with me and watch now!
MONTHLY GIVING TECHNIQUES THAT ARE WORKING IN 2017
Develop a great monthly giving program
A monthly giving program can really help your organization. We know that on average 40% of giving from individuals occurs in December. Wouldn’t it be great to spread some of those gifts out over the whole year? Transitioning some of your donors to monthly gifts is the perfect way to do that.
Here are some ideas for how to convince your donors to give monthly.
What to ask for
Setting your monthly giving amount at the appropriate amount is an essential first step. Start with your average online gift amount then take 15-20% of that for your baseline. If your average online gift is $100, set a baseline recurring gift of $15/month and up from there. This is a great starting point for new donors, but for current donors who may be giving more you will want to edit your ask to be specific to their giving level.
Learn from your current monthly donors
If you have a group of monthly donors they can give you great insight into what works and what doesn’t. Call them and ask them for their opinion and thank them for being monthly donors. Find out why they give monthly. What do they have in common? You can use these ideas to reach out to other monthly donors.
Seven groups to target
Here are seven groups of people who are likely to be attracted to the idea of a monthly gift.
• One time donors who give less than $200 each year
• Donors who give more than three times a year
• Young supporters
• Volunteers
• Donors who have given in the past but not last year
• Event attendees
• Former board members
Questions to ask your team
Before you start your monthly giving program, ask your team these questions:
• What do we want to accomplish through monthly giving?
• What does that mean to our programs and our mission?
• What is the result of achieving our goal?
Answering this question will help your donors understand your mission in your monthly giving program and better talk to your donors about why this is important.
GIVING USA 2017 DATA POINTS TO BUILDING DONOR RELATIONSHIPS
Invest 80% of your Development Time & Efforts in Building Better Donor Relationships! That’s the main Takeaway from Bloomberg on the recent release of the Giving USA 2017 Philanthropic results of 2016 that were just released yesterday! Watch these Relationship Building Secrets now!
How To Win Back Lapsed Donors
Hey! Gotta a LAPSED DONOR PLAN ready to go now? Why? Because this is a perfect time to regroup and reactivate with a plan to rebuild those relationships before it’s too late! Reach out now with these super tips!