Five Strategies to Engage Donors Now - Part 2

Five Strategies to Engage Donors Right Now: Acknowledge Past Faithfulness

Looking for concrete ways to engage your donors? In this blog series, we’re looking at five practical strategies that will help you connect with and inspire your givers.

There’s an adage in the philanthropic world that donor acquisition is tough but donor retention is easy. There’s actually nothing further from the truth. While it can be difficult and costly to attract new givers, it’s actually far more challenging work to retain those donors over a long period of time.

Remember that in working with givers for the long haul, you have to devote yourself not just to the goal of acquiring financial support, but to the relationship after the gift is given. A donor may give a first gift as the result of an appeal to his compassion, or because of the urgency of the appeal. But a donor will only continue to give as the result of the relationship and the ongoing community your organization provides.

To stay in relationship, and to keep finding new ways to express a vision within the context of that donor relationship, takes thought, time, and effort. In any donor relationship, you need to constantly ask yourself:

• 💡 Where do the interests of the organization’s work intersect with the interests of the donor?
• 🌱 Where can our mission connect to the passions of the donor?

Stay in the relationship and intentionally continue to explore where that leads.

What Does This Look Like?

• Assess Your Donor Records: Begin by identifying your most faithful givers. Keep in mind that this isn’t about the amount of the gift or cumulative giving, but the loyalty and consistency of their giving. Givers who’ve faithfully supported your nonprofit monthly or annually for a number of years at any level need and deserve your attention.

• Develop a Plan for Outreach: This might involve assigning certain staff to meet with a certain number of givers each month or quarter.

• Acknowledge and Ask: Use that outreach—calls or meetings—to thank them for their faithfulness. But also use it as an opportunity to explore:

  • What drew them to your organization?
  • What keeps them here?
  • What are their passions and dreams for their role in advancing your mission?

Just that act of asking will go a long way in keeping long-time donors engaged and knowing they are valued.

Retaining your givers takes hard work, but there is no better way to build your giving program than to shower love and focus attention on those who already support you faithfully. Stay in the relationship and they’ll stay long-term.

Coming up, we will unpack additional tips for engaging donors now...including making an appropriate ask.

Timothy L. Smith