By Alan Sharpe, CFRE
What percentage of your donor base sends your organization a gift each year? If you are at all typical, less than half of your donors at any given time are active. So how can you increase the percentage of your donors or members who participate in your fundraising? Here are some ideas.
Offer more than a reply device
Donors like to give in different ways. So offer as many ways as possible for your donors to send you a gift. Consider these:
- special donation page on your website
- toll-free number
- special Donate Now button in your email newsletters
- payroll deduction by employer
- remittance envelope with your newsletter
- automatic monthly gift from bank account or credit card
- reply device and postage-paid return envelope
Keep donors and members informed-and motivated
Why do annual donors stop giving? Many quit because they feel unappreciated. In her book, Thanks! A Guide to Donor-Centred Fundraising, Penelope Burke cites the findings of The CPP Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating, which shows that around 45% of donors “stop giving or give less than they could have . . . for reasons that are tied to lack of meaningful information or to a feeling that their giving is not appreciated.”
Wise stock market investors read the stocks page in the business section. They want to know how well their investment is performing. They attend annual shareholder meetings for the same reason.
Today’s donors are the same. They mail your organization a gift that pays no interest and returns no dividend but they still think of it as an investment. What they want in return is news from you on how well their investment is performing. Next to receiving no thanks at all, nothing infuriates donors more than being asked for another gift without knowing if the last one they mailed made a single bit of difference.
So keep your donors informed-using newsletters, updates, photos, email bulletins, annual reports, phone calls and more.
Write a longer letter
Tests show that longer letters often pull a higher response rate than shorter letters. You’ll need to test this with your organization. If you generally mail one-page letters, go for two pages. If you usually write two pages, try four. Just make sure your longer letters remains factual, informative, compelling and donor-centred.
Learn More
Handbook Number 13
How to Increase the Size and Frequency of Donor Gifts with Fundraising Letters.
Tested, proven tactics for raising more money from your current direct mail donors (with their cheerful participation).
