Thrillingly Yours
Earlier this week, we posted about the importance of the welcome pack for new donors.
But of course the core message — you must re-inspire your donor — doesn’t just apply to new donors … it applies each and every time a donor makes a gift.
Most nonprofits have banked their biggest chunk of annual contributions in the last few weeks. How effectively have you thanked those donors? Would your ‘thank you’ have given your donor a thrill?
Jeff Brooks at Future Fundraising Now excerpts what you should NOT do in a thank you from an excellent ‘must read’ post — How to Craft a Killer Thank You Letter by Gail Perry at Fired-Up Fundraising.
I do agree with Jeff (who disputes Gail) … you should always keep selling. That’s not inconsistent with the first purpose of the ‘thank you’, which is to express genuine gratitude and rekindle the emotional charge that inspired the donation in the first place. It’s a matter of having the right touch.
Tom
P.S. Keep those responses to our 2012 Agitator reader survey coming in. Takes only five minutes. The better we know you, the more relevant we can make our content.
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer
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 […]
Read Full Answer