From monthly Apples and Pears to Zoo gift memberships my postal and digital mailboxes are filled with last minute tips for holiday gift giving.

All of which got me thinking about gifts every fundraiser should be giving their donors.  I’m not talking about calendars or stuffed animals or tote bags.  Rather consider these essential gifts of thoughtfulness that will last way past the holidays and for years to come.

Not only are these gifts lasting, but they also cost just pennies, take little time, and produce big boosts in donor loyalty and your organization’s bottom line.

Here are my top three choices.

Gift #1: Database Address Update.

 Estimated Potential Benefit: 5%-7% Revenue Boost

  [Estimated cost: $20 max; Estimated time: 1 hour]

If 5%-7% of your database is undeliverable (the average for nonprofits in the US) you’ve handicapped your brilliant year-end plans and copy about your exciting 2022 plans from the git go.  Since these folks cared enough to become a donor in the first place, they probably would like to know your organization is doing.

As we previously reported, a  review and updating of donor addresses and deceased donors over a group of 1,200 small and mid-sized organizations containing a total of 9.6 million records found 545,000 bad addresses (5.66% of the total) and 268,000 deceased donors (2.79% of the total).  That’s a lot of wasted appeals and communications…lots of lost income and donor retention.

For $20 –regardless of the size of your donor file –you can update your donors’ postal addresses within an hour or so.  Just go to TrueNCOA or get more detail in the Agitator Toolkit.  For just a few pennies you give “missing” donors the gift of reconnection.

Gift #2: Deceased Donor Identification

Potential Benefit:  Avoiding Embarrassment. Connecting with Families.

[Estimated Cost: $50 max; Estimated time: 1 hour 

In our post on feedback we noted the top donor complaints fell into the category of “Do You Know Who I Am?”  A whopping 14% of respondents – lapsed donors – cited the fact that the organization did not know the donor being addressed was dead!

In fact, the fallout from just one mismanaged interaction can produce shock waves. Can you think of a bigger motivator for a negative response than to address a solicitation to a deceased individual?

How about an even more cringe-inducing phone call when a gift officer asks, “How’s Bob doing?” only to find out Bob passed away from Covid in March of 202 ?

For $50 –regardless of the size of your donor file –you can identify deceased donors on your files-by name, postal address, phone, and email address. – Then, for the same $50 you can keep your files updated with a weekly update at no additional cost.   Just go to TrueDeceased or get more detail in the Agitator Toolbox.  For just a few pennies you give “missing” donors the gift of reconnection.

Gift #3: A Genuine, Timely Heartfelt Thank You Note

 Estimated Potential Benefit: 20-30% Increase in Retention

  [Estimated cost: $1.95 per donor; Estimated time: 1 hour if you’re very, very slow.]

No single action, no single investment produces more positive and lasting results than a heartfelt thank you delivered in a timely manner by post. I’m not talkin’ about autoresponders, or the usual  digital thank you and certainly not those damn form letters.  Those are receipts, not thank yous.

Giving your donors the gift of appreciation and gratitude will not only put your organization in a class of distinguished  differentiation, but you’ll  be also tackling one of the top two reasons why donors hit the exit.

Sure, it costs some money for a First-Class Stamp, the time to write a genuine note, and get it into the mail, but remember we’re dealing with donor lifetime values of $300, %300, $1000 and a lot more.  So come on Big Spender.  Break out the thank you notes.

For literally dozens of posts on the importance of Thank Yous just go to the Agitator’s search engine or, even better check our Lisa Sargent’s free Thank You Letter Clinic at SOFII.org

What gift(s) will you give your donors ?

Roger