It’s hard to keep donors. But keeping them is the name of the game in successful fundraising. The longer they stay with you the more valuable the are.
There are a handful of under-used activities that can really improve donor retention. Check out this post from John Haydon, at 5 Big Reasons Donors Leave (That You Can Fix):
- Remind donors that they gave. It’s sad but true — one of the most common reasons donors stop giving to an organization is they forget they ever gave! You can prevent that.
- Tell donors they matter.
- Tell donors how their money is used. With so many charity scams and scandals all around us, don’t assume they know you’re doing wonderful work their giving make possible.
- Say thank you. Duh. But many organizations aren’t doing it.
- Provide excellent customer service.
It’s easy to forget these basic things. Just remember: You think about your organization every day. Your donors don’t. They need to hear from you — and hear the right things.
Jeff Brooks has been serving the nonprofit community for more than 35 years and blogging about it since 2005. He considers fundraising the most noble of pursuits and hopes you’ll join him in that opinion. You can reach him at jeff [at] jeff-brooks [dot] com.
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