Keeping Your Promise
Roger’s ‘leaky bucket’ post yesterday was about donor retention.
This admonition in particular struck me: Recognize acquisition for what it is – lead generation.
Increasingly, for many — too many — nonprofits and donors, that first gift is the last gift!
I use the word ‘gift’ purposefully. Because that’s all the donor has really done — on the basis of a few pages of copy (in which you’ve made some sort of promise) and maybe (if you’re lucky and established) a favorable brand reputation that precedes your letter (or whatever communication), the donor has taken a chance and given you a gift … a present.
All you’ve captured is an opportunity. As Roger says, a lead.
Subsequently, if you want him or her to give again — this time more deliberately and knowingly — you need to demonstrate that you’ve earned it. That is, that you have truly helped your donor accomplish something both emotionally satisfying and rationally important to him or her. You’ve delivered on the promise.
Now you have the basis of a donor relationship and a true contribution.
I look at it this way … the first ‘gift’ is made with little expectation … but ironically, the second ‘contribution’ is made when that initial little expectation is in fact exceeded.
If you look at your first-time acquisitions ‘leads’ this way, you might be tempted to pay more attention to the relationship-building that needs to occur, the donor-centric nature of communications that are needed to fuel that relationship, and the investment that needs to be made.
Tom
2 responses to “Keeping Your Promise”
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 aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
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Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
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Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
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There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
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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 agree with Tom that first time givers are just that. Until they’ve made a second and maybe even a third gift we cannot consider them as anything other than a lead, warm yes, committed, absolutely not.
I wish I had a dime for every time I’ve said this to a client!
Right on!