Show your donors some love…quick!

Posted by MillsCommGroup in Articles

I’ve said it before and I’ll inevitably say it again: When it comes to marketing, retention is way less expensive than acquisition. It is easy to think that securing a new gift, or volunteer, or media story is an end. You’ve landed the deal and now you can move on, right? Not so. Savvy organizations think of that first commitment (whatever it may be) as a beginning. Because keeping a donor happy is much less expensive than convincing another one to join your ranks.

If you read Penelope Burk, you’ll know the term ‘donor-centered’. In her book ‘Donor-Centered Fundraising’, she outlines one of the hallmarks of a donor-centered approach: prompt, personal gift acknowledgement.  Sounds so simple and obvious, yet not all organizations have a system in place to support this practice.

Explorations in Math, a small, Seattle-based nonprofit that turns math into a fun, life-long adventure for elementary school students, recently put a fantastic process in place to thank their new donors. To get (and share!) the full scoop, we interviewed Megan Nordeen Wildenradt, Explorations in Math’s terrific and tireless Development & Outreach Specialist.

Me: Tell us about the process you have put in place for thanking new donors.

Megan: We send a one-page letter thanking the donor for their donation. In the letter, we include pictures and quotes from the children who benefit from their support. We include a simple response card that asks them about their interests and their preferred method of communication. (See the ‘Sample New Donor Information Card’ below.) We want to reinforce that a new donor has made the right decision in giving us a donation.  We want to show them that we care about what they want to get out of our relationship.

Me: How long have you been sending out ‘Donor Information Cards’?

Megan: We started back in January, right after our winter appeal. We sent it out to all first time donors.  We sent another batch out to new donors from Make a Move for Math, our February fundraising dinner.

Me: What have you learned?

Megan: We’ve been able to learn more about donors and how to effectively communicate with each one individually.  They tell us once and then we know for all future communications. They feel heard.

Me: Do you follow up with the donor by phone after you send the thank you letter?

Megan: We were on the fence for a bit on the phone call piece.  Our donors hear from us a lot—from thank you notes, newsletters, social media, etc. We weren’t sure if they would appreciate a call.   In the end, we decided to give them a few weeks to digest all of our info and then call just to say, “We truly want to get to know you more. We see from your card that you want to receive x, y, z from us. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about how you like to be communicated with?” It seems like the calls are appreciated.

Me: Would you recommend this process to other nonprofits?

Megan: Yes! We’re really excited that we’re making the effort to foster lasting relationships with our donors and doing our best to listen to them and engage them the way they want to be engaged.

I only have one suggestion for Explorations in Math: have a board member pick up the phone right away to thank donors and tell them that a donor information card is one the way.  According to Penelope Burk’s study of 145 donors (80% individuals), 95% of respondents said that they would be very appreciative if a member of the Board of Directors called them within a day or two of receiving their gift just to say thank you.  The thank you call could go something like this: “Hi, I am a board member of Explorations in Math and I want to let you know how thankful we all are for the gift you made this week.  You will be receiving a letter in the mail next week with a postcard so you can let us know exactly how you prefer we communicate with you in the future, but I wanted to make sure you knew right away how grateful we are for your commitment to helping elementary students succeed in math.”  Done!

For any of you now chomping at the bit to try this process at your organization, Explorations in Math was kind enough to share exactly what they put on their card. If you’re going to do this, make sure you follow the “appoint, capture, convey” protocol (outlined in a previous post) and put all the info into your trusty database.

Big thanks to Explorations in Math for sharing their spiffy new postcard process with us!

Explorations in Math’s New Donor Information Card

Name
Employer
Address­­­­­
City/State/Zip
Phone
E-mail

Would you like to receive updates on how your support is helping elementary school communities we serve build sustainable math culture?

Can we make you aware of opportunities to get more involved in the math movement? Please check all that apply.

• EIM Supporter Newsletter- distributed quarterly
• Special Events (fundraisers, MathFest, public math workshops and family math nights)
• Volunteer Opportunities with Explorations in Math
• Learning more about bringing Explorations in Math to your school
• Please check here if you do not wish to be solicited by EIM

How do you prefer that we communicate with you: postal mail, e-mail, or phone? (Circle top choice)

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