Size Doesn’t Matter

October 14, 2014      Admin

Yesterday I chided Agitator readers a bit on the retention issue, suggesting nonprofits were showing too little interest in their fleeing donors.

I was rewarded (and so, I suspect, were Bloomerang and Pamela Grow!!) by the Comment from Ann Kensek at The Counseling Service of of Addison County in Vermont (CSAC-VT).

Clearly, CSAC-VT is not a behemoth of the nonprofit sector. No American Red Cross or Amnesty International.

But they sure are punching above their weight when it comes to husbanding their donors. All you big guys out there … read Ann’s description of her organization’s retention efforts. And then stop making excuses!

Ann writes:

“I work at a non-profit. After our part-time Development Director left  several years ago different folks picked up the bits and pieces of appeals and thank yous, and did it admirably, all things considered. I was hired about 1 1/2 years ago to do a number of different things, among them Fund Development.

This summer we got Bloomerang software (love it!) to help keep track of donor retention, track histories, etc. Thank you notes are usually (but not always – we’re working on that) quick and personalized, and I share what their donation has done, whenever possible. We are working on getting specific stories and quotes to include in the notes. Confidentiality is vital at our agency, with HIPAA, etc.

I have  begun calling  donors to say thanks the day their donation arrives (thanks for the tip, Pamela Grow!) and hope to make that a regular part of the  process. I am reading and studying about how to tell donor and client stories, and am creating a donor-centric newsletter. Our ED or a Board member signs every thank you, and sometimes a lot of people do. Every single appeal letter has a brief, hand written personal note  in addition to the main letter.

Our website will be upgraded and improved, including our donation page.

While I want it all done yesterday, I am developing a plan  to implement what needs to be done, step by step, understanding that this is a learning process and will take some time. We have resource limitations, both budgetary and personnel.  This is all relatively new to me and only one piece of my job. I’m grateful for the wisdom and shared knowledge from so many of you.”

Ann, you are a role model and my hero! And hats off to CSAC … they are lucky to have you and smart to follow your lead.

But if you ever decide to leave CSAC (and Vermont … but why would you leave Vermont?), let me and Roger know. We’ll help find you a place that deserves your initiative and determination to grow. That’s better than an Agitator raise!

Tom

P.S. Tomorrow, Roger rebuts all those who think they’re too busy to make the changes that matter.

3 responses to “Size Doesn’t Matter”

  1. Janice says:
    October 14, 2014 at 10:48 am

    Nice post. Yes so much needs to happen to keep our donors happy and engaged. Oh the joys of being in a place that welcomes “initiative and determination to grow”. I sense many fund development professionals come into their roles with this approach but end up having their flames snuffed out by bureaucracy and lack of vision and risk taking on the part of leadership.

  2. Jill Perry says:
    October 14, 2014 at 11:16 am

    Thank you, Ann, for sharing your non-profit’s progress on retention. And thank you, Tom, for highlighting her efforts.

    At the nonprofit where I work, we’ve been focusing on retention for the past few years. In fact, it’s been a central focus of my annual goals. It’s a slow process, though, and often frustrating.

    Our new donor rentention rates have been increasing over the past 5 years, but the rate is small and gradual, rather than big jumps (which is what I always hope to see). Per The Agitator recommendations, we’ve been trying to look at the big picture of our donor communications, rather than focusing on the results of individual campaigns. How are we communicating with donors throughout the year? Are we making them feel special and needed and showing them that they are, indeed, making a difference?

    Our thank you letters are mailed out usually within 48 hours of receiving a gift. They’re all hand-signed by our foundation director, some with personal notes. We send hand-written notes to donors each month who’ve reached milestones of 3-year giving, 5-year giving, $1K giving, etc. We’ve focused extensively on making our communications donor-focused.

    The results are often slow to come, though, so I really appreciated seeing your praise of Ann’s incremental work. Thank you for continuing to push donor retention and encouraging us to take a hard, honest look at our processes and our assumptions. It makes this work even more rewarding!

  3. Ann Kensek says:
    October 14, 2014 at 2:43 pm

    Wow, I’m really honored- thanks for your kind words, Tom!
    (And thank you for more good ideas, Jill!)

    CSAC has a supportive ED, CFO and Board, who encourage growth and innovation. And yes, it is easier to be human in a smaller agency, in a small state where sometimes it seems like everyone knows each other.

    And I appreciate the many resources available (including the Agitator) that help us find the balance between Chicken Little and Cassandra.
    Plant that acorn and see what grows!

    Many thanks,

    Ann

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