Donor Retention … Why Is It So Hard?
Roger’s written a 171-page $24.95 book on it — Retention Fundraising: The New Art and Science of Keeping Your Donors for Life.
And yesterday he enthusiastically recommended Jay Love’s 170-page $5.67 Kindle book on it — Stay Together: How to Encourage a Lifetime of Donor Loyalty.
[Even Jay would agree that the one extra — extremely insightful — page in Roger’s book, the page that costs $19.28 more, is well worth the spend. Plus you’re getting a hard copy! Hey, you can get it used for $17.52.]
Now, for you cheapies and fans of Cliffs Notes, Jeff Brooks comes along and reduces the solution to these five steps in one free short blog post, noting the huge importance* of getting a second gift …
- Acknowledge the first gift promptly.
- Be specific and relevant in that acknowledgement.
- Report back (soon!) on the impact of the first gift.
- Ask again soon.
- Ask often.
What’s so hard about this folks?
Why aren’t we getting the job done?
Tom
*Jeff reminds us of this incredible stat (from Bloomerang): If a donor gives a second time, they are about three times as likely to stay with you. Who doesn’t ‘get’ that?
One response to “Donor Retention … Why Is It So Hard?”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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I think it’s not getting done because it’s not getting prioritized. All of us who read The Agitator (and all the other great blogs represented by many of the folks who comment here) are preaching to the choir. We know it’s critically important, we know the research that’s been done by Rogare, Dr. Adrian Sargeant, Roger and others, and we know what needs to be done to move the needle.
But… this information isn’t rippling very far. It’s as if we’ve dropped a pebble into a tar pit rather than a pond. Every time I give a presentation about improving donor retention, I’m astounded — not only by how many people don’t know their retention rates, but by how many wouldn’t even know how to find them!
I don’t know, but I think this has something to do with leadership in the sector. Executive directors often get coaching, but development directors rarely do. And, sadly, due to extensive turnover in development positions they often come into positions with no one to show them the ropes. They need mentors to show them the way forward, and help them to focus on both short- and long-term outcomes. Coaches have time to read all the literature and get folks up to speed. When people are working in the trenches, they often get so embroiled in putting out fires that they neglect to invest in prevention (so those fires don’t get started in the first place).