Fundraising & The Value Of Email Addresses
We’re back on the Retention Trail today.
Rick Christ, a VP at Amergent, has just issued Donor Stewardship: Making Virtual Friends for Life, a white paper that you should download and read today.
When it comes to retention, Rick doesn’t mince words, always writes well, and succinctly summarizes the Amergent analysis of millions of gifts.
Key takeaways:
- Pay attention to getting a donor’s email address. Donors who have entrusted you with an email address have an average donor value that can be 150% higher than donors who don’t provide their address.
- Donors who make a second gift in their first year (preferably within the first 100 days) are TWICE as likely to make a gift in their second year.
- This means they will renew in Year 2 at DOUBLE the average retention rate for first year donors – 56% vs. 28%.
Most valuable, from my perspective, is the advice Rick offers elsewhere in the report.
Advice on:
- Auditing your own website. Do it! Today!
- Getting your donation page up to speed.
- Thanking your donors – properly. Acknowledgments are far more than creative receipting.
Although Rick and Amergent work mostly for Catholic charities, this is great advice regardless of religious preference.
Rick, you deserve a raise!
Roger
P.S. Pay particular attention to Rick’s advice on what he calls “virtual stewardship”. If a donor with an email address is worth 150% more than one without, I wonder how much $$ organizations are budgeting to get that address?
One response to “Fundraising & The Value Of Email Addresses”
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Thank you for sharing this, really usefull information and something I will share with collegues!