I’ve been preparing to share some juicy information on a new webinar so the topic of donor retention is top of mind for me these days.
With U.S. donor retention at an abysmal low of about 39%. . . it’s time to get serious.
What to do: Make a plan for 2014 to train your board, staff, and yourselves on the best practices for making sure your donors feel great about making contributions to your organization.
Retention is a year-long project. Not just a one-time thank you letter.
As I mentioned here on this blog a couple of weeks ago “Donor Retention is the New Black.”
Donor retention is the go to, reliable, smart choice when determining where to spend your precious fundraising time.
Check out the resources I’ve gathered for you.
Two terrific podcasts from Fundraising is Beautiful
Donor Retention, Part 1: 5 Reasons Donors Leave, November 12, 2013
Donor Retention, Part 2: Four Simple Principles for Keeping Your Donors, December 3, 2013
This is one of my favorite take-away’s from the first podcast:
3 main questions donors are asking when they make a gift to your organization:
- Did you get my gift?
- Are you thankful for my gift?
- Are you going to use my gift in the way you said you were going to use it?
Lots of great data here: 2013 Executive Summary from The Burk Donor Survey
Fascinating reading: Top Motivators for Giving from: Root Cause: Informed Giving
Here’s a terrific recap of the Root Cause Report from Joanne Fritz: Donors Want More and Easier-to-Understand Information
Best Practices from Network for Good you’ll want to implement: Create a Donor Stewardship Plan
And, finally, from my friends at Bloomerang: 5 Ways to Improve Donor Retention
Here’s to ending this year and starting next year igniting your donor retention percentages!
