Donors for Life . . . it is possible!

Donor acquisition is costly and time-consuming. However, donor attrition is even more costly, because it’s like saying goodbye to a customer!  And almost always, donor attrition is the result of neglect rather than offense.  It isn’t that you’re doing something wrong, it’s just that you aren’t doing something right. 

How can you nurture and maintain the relationships with your donors and begin to cultivate donors for life?  It begins with a mindset of genuine appreciation for your donors.  This appreciation is about who they are, not just what they give or do for your organization.  You regularly say thank you for the gift, but how often are you expressing gratitude for the actual person giving the gift?

If you a pursue a transaction with donors, you often get one, but they tend to be smaller, less frequent, and fleeting.  In the same way, if you pursue a relationship, you get that, and it often brings transactions with it.  The gifts you’ll receive tend to be larger, more frequent, and more lasting over years.  Developing donors for life means you focus on the person more than the purse.

Here are a few quick tips on ways to develop this culture with your donors:

• Enrich the relationship by asking.  Ask for their opinions on matters that matter.  Show interest in their mind, not their money.
• Be alert to their lives and know what’s important to them.  Something as common as a call on their birthday or congratulatory note on their anniversary shows that you are aware and interested in their lives.  (An earlier generation might have called that “common courtesy,” but it isn’t so common today, and your donors will notice it!)
• Regularly thank them for their relationship with you and your organization.

Properly stewarding gifts AND givers helps create donors for life. Continue doing the right things and you’ll keep people engaged in your mission.

Your friend,

Kent Stroman,
America’s ASKing Coach