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 fluctuate, 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 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 items 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 techniques for expressing gratitude. Utilizing a system lets you determine the way you’ll thank donors upfront, reasonably than making a separate resolution for each donation that involves your group.
How do techniques 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 in case you retain them after their preliminary reward? Sure! Attracting new donors prices time and assets even in case you’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 again and again 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, it’s best to share your gratitude with them. You couldn’t do what you do with out their help!
As fundamental as that’s, some organizations nonetheless have 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 observe than we’re getting from the donation?
- Who’s the correct particular person 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 choices, permitting you to understand donors sooner.
Bonus: Ship your thank-you messages along with donation receipts. Present acknowledgments are necessary communication, however they need to be separate from thank-you messages.
Elements of a System of Gratitude
Methods of expressing gratitude are priceless, however what truly goes into them? Primarily, these techniques have two elements: donor appreciation tiers and donor appreciation strategies.
Donor Appreciation Tiers
You need to 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 doubtless significant for the individuals who made them.
That being mentioned, some donors do require going the additional mile in relation to exhibiting your appreciation. The way you divide donor tiers relies on which supporter teams you’re focusing 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 constructive one by expressing gratitude with a immediate and interesting message. Whilst you may fluctuate your technique primarily based on how a lot a brand new donor gave, equivalent to calling reasonably 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 must be about sustaining and constructing the connection to slowly get them to extend their help.
- Main donors. Main donors want excess of a heartfelt e mail for them to proceed giving to your nonprofit. When a serious donor makes a contribution, be ready to go all out. This may contain sending a letter, calling them on the telephone, and arranging a time to fulfill to thank them in particular person.
- Volunteers. Volunteers usually are not donors—although a few of them can simply turn out to be 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 must reinvent the wheel on your volunteer appreciation technique, so reuse your system for expressing gratitude to donors on your volunteers and make just a few tweaks the place vital.
Whereas sorting donors into tiers will aid you strategy supporters as teams, take heed to particular person preferences. For instance, take donor communication preferences under consideration so that you keep away from texting thank-you messages to donors who solely wish to hear from you through e mail.
Donor Appreciation Strategies
How will you specific gratitude to the donors in every of the teams you simply created? Donor appreciation strategies fluctuate broadly, and listed below are 5 to think about so as of how strongly they’re prone to come throughout:
- Automated thank-you messages. Automated thank-you emails require no enter out of your workforce 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.
- eCards. Elevate your e mail thanks’s with eCards. eCards are primarily greeting playing cards despatched by means of 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 sooner than snail mail. eCardWidget’s information on the way to thank donors reveals off wonderful 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 have a good time a profitable marketing campaign, 12 months of fundraising, or anything. These occasions will be digital, small lunch get-togethers, or total formal galas.
- Donor partitions. Immortalize your donors’ contributions by establishing a donor wall that lists the names of your high funders. These monuments are historically bodily buildings, however interactive, digital donor partitions have been gaining recognition.
Whereas a few of these strategies might appear to be quite a 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 primarily shut the loop on a donor journey and encourage them to work their manner 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.
