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 achieve this many first-time donors not give once more?
The reply may very well be so simple as not making a follow-up request in a well timed method. Or possibly some donors all the time meant to only give the one time. Whereas causes fluctuate, one query nonprofits ought to all the time ask themselves after a donation is: Did we thank them?
A easy thank you’ll be able to go a good 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 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 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 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 for those who retain them after their preliminary reward? Sure! Attracting new donors prices time and assets even for those who’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 over and over for every reward.
Retaining donors could also be cheaper, 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 assist!
As primary 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 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 power 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
Techniques of expressing gratitude are beneficial, however what truly goes into them? Primarily, these methods have two elements: donor appreciation tiers and donor appreciation strategies.
Donor Appreciation Tiers
You need to thank your entire donors. Whether or not they’re giving $100 or $10, they made an effort to assist your nonprofit, and whereas small presents could 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 in terms of displaying your appreciation. The way you divide donor tiers is determined by 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 new donors will significantly 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, reminiscent of 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 neighborhood.
- Mid-level donors. Mid-level recurring donors present dependable assist 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 assist.
- Main donors. Main donors want excess of 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 may contain sending a letter, calling them on the telephone, and arranging a time to fulfill to thank them in particular person.
- Volunteers. Volunteers are usually not donors—although a few of them can simply turn 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 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 show you how to strategy 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 wish to hear from you by way of e-mail.
Donor Appreciation Strategies
How will you categorical gratitude to the donors in every of the teams you simply created? Donor appreciation strategies fluctuate extensively, and listed here are 5 to contemplate 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 staff after their preliminary setup. They’re the quickest technique 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 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 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 could have.
- Donor occasions. Invite your donors to get collectively to rejoice a profitable marketing campaign, 12 months of fundraising, or the rest. These occasions might 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 could look like loads 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 means towards making a second reward.
Retaining donors is about constructing relationships with supporters in order that they proceed to assist 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.
