The awesome folks at Arreva showcase some compelling data why donors do not come back to an organization to give again.
Over 40% of the time, a donor does not give again due to a failure to communicate by the NPO. Why is something in an organization’s control still contributing to almost half of the reason why they can not retain donors. In this great article titled Donor Relationships 101: Don’t Just Manage Your Donors, Nurture Them from Arreva, the case for nurturing donor relationships is laid out clearly and with some brilliant data points.
Establishing a relationship with a supporter is hard work. We have to engage our supporters with the right message at the right time, and we need to invest in them so they feel invested in us. The right pull of these two levers will transform someone from not just a supporter, but into an advocate and ambassador for the mission.
How can you achieve the right engagement and investment?
The first key is to segment your supporter list (by level of giving, motivation, hobby, etc). The Arreva article outlines an effective way to segment supporters.
The second key is to communicate!
“Sargeant’s survey found that 13% of donors quit donating at least partly because the charity didn’t acknowledge their donation.”
The third key is to tell great, focused stories. Find one moment, person, or story of impact, and use that plot to connect deeply and in a personal way with your supporters. Leverage the emotion from the story to win the heart and mind of your supporter.
At the end of the day, the emotional deposits made to supporters will be the difference between whether they stay or go, and we’d really like to see them stay.