It’s well-known within the nonprofit world that the second present, typically even known as “the golden present,” is when donor retention charges begin to rise. So why do donors proceed to present to your nonprofit after their first present? Or conversely, why achieve this many first-time donors not give once more?
The reply might be so simple as not making a follow-up request in a well timed method. Or perhaps some donors at all times supposed to simply give the one time. Whereas causes range, one query nonprofits ought to at all times ask themselves after a donation is: Did we thank them?
A easy thank you possibly can go a good distance towards persuading donors to return again. In spite of everything, it’s discouraging to donate your hard-earned cash to what you’re feeling is a worthwhile trigger and by no means hear something again. Donors are left questioning how their presents had been used or if the nonprofit even acquired or wanted them in any respect.
Keep away from this state of affairs and keep away from overcomplicating the thank-you course of by creating methods for expressing gratitude. Utilizing a system permits you to resolve the way you’ll thank donors upfront, moderately than making a separate resolution for each donation that involves your group.
How do methods of expressing gratitude work and why do they matter for retaining donors? Let’s discover out.
Why does retaining donors matter?
In case your nonprofit is constantly attracting new donors, does it actually matter if you happen to retain them after their preliminary present? Sure! Attracting new donors prices time and sources even if you happen to’re utilizing low-cost or free nonprofit advertising instruments. It’s far cheaper to pay that value as soon as and have a donor make a number of presents than to pay it time and again for every present.
Retaining donors could also be less expensive, however how cost-effective is it to thank each donor? Put plainly, in case your group depends in any half on donors, you must share your gratitude with them. You couldn’t do what you do with out their help!
As primary as that’s, some organizations nonetheless take a look at every present and marvel if they need to thank the donor. When making a system of gratitude, it’s regular to have questions like:
- Is that this present massive sufficient to warrant a thanks?
- Are we spending extra mailing a thank-you observe than we’re getting from the donation?
- Who’s the correct individual to thank?
Ask these questions when first crafting your system of gratitude, not each time a supporter donates. Establishing pointers and following them removes the time and vitality spent remaking these selections, permitting you to understand donors quicker.
Bonus: Ship your thank-you messages along with donation receipts. Reward acknowledgments are essential communication, however they need to be separate from thank-you messages.
Elements of a System of Gratitude
Programs of expressing gratitude are priceless, however what really goes into them? Primarily, these methods have two elements: donor appreciation tiers and donor appreciation strategies.
Donor Appreciation Tiers
It’s best to thank your entire donors. Whether or not they’re giving $100 or $10, they made an effort to help your nonprofit, and whereas small presents might not change the trajectory of your mission, these donations had been nonetheless possible significant for the individuals who made them.
That being stated, some donors do require going the additional mile in terms of displaying your appreciation. The way you divide donor tiers depends upon which supporter teams you’re concentrating on and your nonprofit’s common donation quantity. Nevertheless, many nonprofits will discover it worthwhile to create a system of expressing gratitude with tiers much like these:
- New donors. Your appreciation for brand spanking new donors will enormously affect their first impression of your nonprofit. Make it a optimistic one by expressing gratitude with a immediate and fascinating message. Whilst you would possibly range your technique based mostly on how a lot a brand new donor gave, akin to calling moderately than emailing donors who give over $100, have particular messages prepared that thank donors, present details about your nonprofit, and welcome them to your neighborhood.
- Mid-level donors. Mid-level recurring donors present dependable help month to month. For these donors, thank-you messages ought to be about sustaining and constructing the connection to slowly get them to extend their help.
- Main donors. Main donors want way over a heartfelt e mail for them to proceed giving to your nonprofit. When a significant donor makes a contribution, be ready to go all out. This would possibly contain sending a letter, calling them on the cellphone, and arranging a time to satisfy to thank them in individual.
- Volunteers. Volunteers are usually not donors—although a few of them can simply change into donors with the correct technique—however they nonetheless deserve a thanks all the identical. Fundraising Letter’s information to volunteer appreciation factors out that many donor retention methods additionally apply to volunteer retention. There’s no have to reinvent the wheel in your volunteer appreciation technique, so reuse your system for expressing gratitude to donors in your volunteers and make a number of tweaks the place crucial.
Whereas sorting donors into tiers will provide help to method supporters as teams, take heed to particular person preferences. For instance, take donor communication preferences into consideration so that you keep away from texting thank-you messages to donors who solely need to hear from you by way of e mail.
Donor Appreciation Strategies
How will you specific gratitude to the donors in every of the teams you simply created? Donor appreciation strategies range extensively, and listed here are 5 to think about so as of how strongly they’re more likely to come throughout:
- Automated thank-you messages. Automated thank-you emails require no enter out of your group after their preliminary setup. They’re the quickest solution to let donors know their present was acquired and the way a lot you recognize it.
- eCards. Elevate your e mail thanks’s with eCards. eCards are basically greeting playing cards despatched via e mail, textual content, or social media, full with enjoyable visuals and a message out of your nonprofit. The one main variations are they’re digital and far quicker than snail mail. eCardWidget’s information on methods to thank donors exhibits off glorious examples of eCards:
- Telephone calls. Have a fast one-on-one dialog by giving your donors a name. Put together a script and be able to reply widespread questions donors might have.
- Donor occasions. Invite your donors to get collectively to rejoice a profitable marketing campaign, yr of fundraising, or anything. These occasions could be digital, small lunch get-togethers, or total formal galas.
- Donor partitions. Immortalize your donors’ contributions by developing a donor wall that lists the names of your prime funders. These monuments are historically bodily buildings, however interactive, digital donor partitions have been gaining reputation.
Whereas a few of these strategies might seem to be a whole lot of work, consider expressing gratitude as simply one other step in your donor retention course of. In spite of everything, following up is the way you basically shut the loop on a donor journey and encourage them to work their manner towards making a second present.
Retaining donors is about constructing relationships with supporters so that they proceed to help you year-over-year. Make your advertising stand out by expressing real appreciation and keep away from getting caught in resolution paralysis by implementing a system of gratitude.