Retaining Donors: Create a System for Expressing Gratitude

It’s well-known within the nonprofit world that the second reward, typically even known as “the golden reward,” is when donor retention charges begin to rise. So why do donors proceed to present to your nonprofit after their first reward? Or conversely, why accomplish that many first-time donors not give once more?

The reply could possibly be so simple as not making a follow-up request in a well timed method. Or possibly some donors at all times meant to only 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 great distance towards persuading donors to come back again. In any case, 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 items had been used or if the nonprofit even acquired or wanted them in any respect.

Keep away from this situation and keep away from overcomplicating the thank-you course of by creating methods for expressing gratitude. Utilizing a system means that you can resolve the way you’ll thank donors upfront, slightly 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 repeatedly attracting new donors, does it actually matter if you happen to retain them after their preliminary reward? Sure! Attracting new donors prices time and assets 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 items than to pay it over and over for every reward.

Retaining donors could also be more cost effective, 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 fundamental as that’s, some organizations nonetheless take a look at every reward 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 reward massive sufficient to warrant a thanks?
• Are we spending extra mailing a thank-you word than we’re getting from the donation?
• Who’s the best individual to thank?

Ask these questions when first crafting your system of gratitude, not each time a supporter donates. Establishing tips 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 vital communication, however they need to be separate from thank-you messages.

Parts of a System of Gratitude

Techniques of expressing gratitude are beneficial, however what really goes into them? Primarily, these methods have two elements: donor appreciation tiers and donor appreciation strategies.

Donor Appreciation Tiers

You must thank all your donors. Whether or not they’re giving $100 or $10, they made an effort to help your nonprofit, and whereas small items might not change the trajectory of your mission, these donations had been nonetheless probably significant for the individuals who made them.

That being mentioned, some donors do require going the additional mile on the subject of exhibiting your appreciation. The way you divide donor tiers is dependent upon which supporter teams you’re focusing on and your nonprofit’s common donation quantity. Nonetheless, 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 vastly 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, comparable to calling slightly than emailing donors who give over $100, have particular messages prepared that thank donors, present details about your nonprofit, and welcome them to your group.

• 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 electronic 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 telephone, and arranging a time to fulfill to thank them in individual.

• Volunteers. Volunteers will not be donors—although a few of them can simply grow to be donors with the best 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 must reinvent the wheel on your volunteer appreciation technique, so reuse your system for expressing gratitude to donors on your volunteers and make a couple of tweaks the place obligatory.

Whereas sorting donors into tiers will assist you 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 through electronic mail.

Donor Appreciation Strategies

How will you categorical gratitude to the donors in every of the teams you simply created? Donor appreciation strategies range broadly, and listed here are 5 to think about so as of how strongly they’re prone to come throughout:

1. Computerized thank-you messages. Computerized thank-you emails require no enter out of your group after their preliminary setup. They’re the quickest solution to let donors know their reward was acquired and the way a lot you respect it.
2. eCards. Elevate your electronic mail thanks’s with eCards. eCards are primarily greeting playing cards despatched via electronic 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 the best way to thank donors exhibits off glorious examples of eCards:
3. Cellphone calls. Have a fast one-on-one dialog by giving your donors a name. Put together a script and be able to reply frequent questions donors might have.

1. Donor occasions. Invite your donors to get collectively to have fun a profitable marketing campaign, 12 months of fundraising, or anything. These occasions could be digital, small lunch get-togethers, or complete formal galas.
2. Donor partitions. Immortalize your donors’ contributions by setting up 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 recognition.

Whereas a few of these strategies might look like quite a lot of work, consider expressing gratitude as simply one other step in your donor retention course of. In any case, following up is the way you primarily shut the loop on a donor journey and encourage them to work their approach towards making a second reward.

Retaining donors is about constructing relationships with supporters in order 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.