“Donor retention” is likely one of the most heated subjects of dialogue within the nonprofit sector. How do you retain donors engaged? And the way do you guarantee they’ll donate once more? What makes donors go away? It appears nonprofits are nonetheless figuring this out.
In keeping with the Affiliation of Fundraising Professionals’ 2022 Fundraising Effectiveness Report, donors have dropped by 7%, however {Dollars} Up 6.2%, Buoyed by Main Donors. Given how a lot time, effort and price range the typical nonprofit places into donor acquisition, that’s a serious downside to lose 7%. Even when bigger donors are reasonably growing their giving quantities, a 7% loss in donors provides up.
December is essentially the most high-stakes month all yr for fundraisers. Whereas donor retention is a year-round effort, right here’s how your nonprofit could make it a precedence for end-of-year fundraising.
Donor retention is an element artwork, half science. It’s a combination of testing, evaluating knowledge, crafting compelling fundraising appeals, and understanding what stirs donors’ feelings. And there are a couple of key items to the donor retention puzzle it is best to know.
Calculating Donor Retention
Donor retention is easy: it’s the variety of donors who gave final yr in comparison with the variety of donors who gave this yr. You possibly can seize these numbers from any two years to see how your nonprofit is doing at retaining donors.
(this yr’s retained donors / final yr’s retained donors) X 100 = retention price
However we’ve made it even simpler for nonprofits to retain donors. Mightycause customers can export a donor retention report that finds all of the donors who haven’t given this yr and neatly packages them in a spreadsheet for you. This implies you may spend much less time looking down the information and extra time really connecting with these donors.
Immediate Thank You’s
There’s a motive growth of us at nonprofits are so obsessive about thanks’s: analysis exhibits that donors who’re thanked inside 48 hours of creating their donation are 4 instances extra doubtless to donate once more. It’s a key a part of donor retention, and it must occur quick.
Staying in Contact
A lot of donor retention is simply relationship-building, and as everyone knows, it’s worthwhile to keep in contact to be able to construct and keep a relationship. This implies not solely speaking with them usually, however speaking higher. And nonprofits can talk higher and construct stronger relationships with donors in a couple of methods:
- Private contact with employees and/or volunteers on the group (which is particularly vital for main reward donors or prospects)
- Personalizing their communications to acknowledge their historical past with the group and their pursuits
- Speaking with donors in numerous methods, on totally different channels (as an example, shifting a social media follower to your electronic mail listing, somebody in your electronic mail listing to your mailing listing, and so forth)
- Listening to which sorts of messaging enchantment to which donors
With the understanding that donor retention is an ongoing course of and must occur all year long, we’ve put collectively some motion objects that can enable you concentrate on donor retention to your end-of-year enchantment.
1. Establish Your Donors
Earlier than you can begin anything, you’ll want to know who you’re making an attempt to retain. The best method to do that is by pulling all the knowledge you want, which yow will discover in your donor retention report, which is underneath the Studies space of your admin dashboard.
This report offers you all it’s worthwhile to know to hatch your year-end donor retention plan and get began contacting donors.
Retained Donors
So, that listing of donors your nonprofit has retained from this final yr deserves some particular consideration. These are donors who’ve proven as much as assist you yr after yr, and if you’re planning your end-of-year appeals, you’ll need to acknowledge how vital these donors are to your nonprofit.
On the very least, plan some segmented emails to this group of donors. You’ll need to concentrate on gratitude in these emails — these are the donors who hold you afloat. Utilizing language like “due to you” and “we all know we are able to depend in your assist once more” acknowledges their vital contribution to your trigger. And since that electronic mail is extra private to them, it’ll make them extra prone to donate once more.
For those who actually need to make sure you go the additional mile to indicate this group some love, as a substitute of simply emailing them, name them to speak about your marketing campaign and ask for his or her continued assist. If somebody has given quite a bit, or elevated the quantity they gave this previous yr, invite them to your workplace! Ship them a customized word within the mail! Not solely are you garnering assist to your year-end marketing campaign, however you’re laying the groundwork for these donors to come back again and donate once more within the following years.
Virtually-Lapsed Donors
In donor retention, a “lapsed” donor is a donor who used to give to your group, however for no matter motive, stopped. And, usually, a donor shouldn’t be take into account lapsed till it’s been at the very least one yr since they donated. So, this group of donors who gave final yr however now this previous yr is nearly lapsed. Your objective in your year-end enchantment goes to be to get them to come back again and make a donation earlier than the yr ends.
You’ll do this by engaged on cultivating the connection with these donors and asking them to come back again and assist your nonprofit subsequent yr. Listed here are few methods you may get these donors again on board:
- Customized outreach. You possibly can ship them your commonly scheduled electronic mail blasts, positive, but additionally plan for some private touches. Sending an electronic mail from your personal electronic mail deal with, sending a customized letter or postcard, or hopping on the cellphone to allow them to find out about your marketing campaign, will assist deliver them again. (Don’t be afraid to enlist volunteers on this!)
- This additionally offers you the chance to dig for extra info — why haven’t they made one other donation? Did they get your final e-newsletter? Do you might have their present electronic mail and mailing deal with? What’s their most well-liked methodology of communication?
- Thank them for his or her earlier assist. We’ve mentioned it earlier than and we’ll say it once more: there is no such thing as a such factor as thanking a donor an excessive amount of! Even when their final donation was 18 months go. Lead with gratitude, and also you’ll discover that the donor is hotter towards making one other donation.
- Present your impression. What did you accomplish this previous yr? They donated final yr, so they’re a part of that success, and people milestones. Allow them to know that to be able to have one other profitable yr, you’ll want their assist once more.
Different elements to think about
Look deeper at this group of donors.
- Are there any retained donors who gave extra this previous yr than they did final yr? This group warrants some particular consideration; don’t take their assist without any consideration! Make particular makes an attempt to succeed in out to them and ask for his or her continued assist (and maybe see in the event that they’re prepared to offer even extra to your year-end marketing campaign). It will make your donor retention sooner or later much more profitable.
- Are there any retained donors who gave much less this yr than final yr? These donors could also be at risk of lapsing! Ensure you impress upon these donors how a lot their donation means, and if doable, comply with up with them to get suggestions about their expertise as a supporter.
- Can you discover any demographics info primarily based on a donor’s historical past? For example, if you happen to run an animal rescue, and also you discover a donor has given to a number of fundraisers for cats however no fundraisers for canine … properly, you’ve bought an vital piece of details about that donor, proper? You possibly can perceive what motivates them to offer, and tailor your enchantment to them accordingly. See if you happen to can cut up these donors up into teams primarily based on curiosity to fine-tune your messaging even additional.
2. Ask
Okay, so this one appears apparent, proper? However, consider it or not, some nonprofits can dance circles round asking in electronic mail after electronic mail.
How do they do this? There’s a number of methods. We’ve seen call-to-action buttons that say “Thanks to your assist” (as a substitute of “donate now”) — placing the thanks earlier than the ask! Generally it’s tender language like “assist.” Sure, “assist” is one other method to say “donate,” but it surely’s in a roundabout way asking them for cash, the donating half is implied with “assist.” If you need one thing from somebody, you’ve bought to ask. Straight.
Past simply being direct along with your name to motion, listed below are some methods you could be extra direct and efficient along with your enchantment.
Counsel Particular Quantities
With donors who’ve given to your nonprofit earlier than, you should use their donation historical past to make a selected, focused ask. Bespoke messaging is a superb tactic for donor retention. How a lot did they offer previously? You possibly can in all probability anticipate to offer across the similar quantity this yr, so strive bumping them as much as the subsequent stage. And even ask them to make a recurring month-to-month dedication to your group.
“Due to you” language is particularly efficient when making an ask to a donor who has given earlier than: “Due to you, we had been capable of [INSERT ACCOMPLISHMENT], present [NUMBER OF SERVICES] this yr, and proceed our mission of [WHATEVER YOUR MISSION IS]. Can we depend on you to offer [AMOUNT] to assist our efforts subsequent yr?”
Make the most of Prompt Donation Quantities
All Mightycause customers have the power to customise the prompt donation quantities in your nonprofit’s donation course of. It is a highly effective little device, as a result of these options are made to your donor proper after they click on “Donate” in your Mightycause web page, catching them at a vital level within the donation course of — once they’re deciding how a lot to offer.
To customise these, go to Checkout Circulation in your Mightycause Supervisor.
Ideally, you’ll need to weave these into your marketing campaign messaging, so donors are extra compelled to offer within the quantities you recommend. You even have an outline you should use to clarify why these quantities are significant to your nonprofit and make a compelling case for donating in these quantities.
One other tip is to make use of the vacation spirit to assist body your prompt donation quantities. What would that quantity present to your nonprofit? Are you able to tie it again to a real-world merchandise or service? Donors love giving issues to charity greater than cash, so if you happen to can flip a $30 donation into, say, feeding a household in your group for per week, it’ll make it extra doubtless folks will give in that quantity.
3. Observe Up
So, if you happen to’ve completed the work, compiled the lists, despatched your emails, completed the outreach, and acquired a donation, what’s left to do? Don’t cease when you’ve gotten the donation! Donor retention doesn’t finish with getting a previous donor to donate once more this yr. It’s an ongoing course of, and it doesn’t cease after the donation is full!
Create a Plan
Whenever you’ve bought your donation, your job is to begin retaining them for subsequent yr. You’re laying the groundwork for a continued relationship with the donors you’ve retained, and future donations.
Right here are some things to think about including to your follow-up plan:
- Handwritten (or at the very least personally signed) thanks playing cards
- A private electronic mail from somebody in your employees (like a Improvement Director or your Govt Director)
- A cellphone name from a employees member or volunteer
- A sequence of emails
- An end-of-year survey to seek out out what points are most vital to donors
No matter your plan is, it’s important that you just make one. If donors don’t hear from you till the subsequent time you’re asking them for cash, they aren’t prone to keep engaged in your nonprofit’s work and trigger.
Report on Your Outcomes
As a part of your follow-up plan, it is best to embrace an electronic mail early within the New Yr reporting on the outcomes of your marketing campaign. However don’t cease reporting after that electronic mail! Allow them to know what you’re as much as year-round, as a result of these are all issues their donations helped make doable.
Embody them in your e-newsletters, ship a bodily e-newsletter if you happen to flow into these, and rejoice milestones and accomplishments with them as they occur. (Utilizing “due to you” language.)
We’ve bought an book for that! It’s free to obtain and comprises year-end fundraising concepts, finest practices, and ideas for participating donors.
