Take a look at the people who made their first gift to your organization this summer.
Some may have responded to an email. Others may have attended an event, supported a friend’s fundraiser, encountered you on social media or simply discovered your organization and decided they wanted to help.
Whatever brought them to you, they have already done something significant: they raised their hands. Now what happens?
Too often, a new donor receives an automated receipt, perhaps a thank-you, and then simply gets folded into the organization’s regular solicitation schedule.
That misses an important opportunity.
A first gift isn’t the end of an acquisition effort. It is the beginning of a relationship. And the period immediately following that first gift is your chance to reinforce the donor’s decision and begin creating reasons to stay involved.
Before asking for another gift, give your new donors something.
Not another premium or incentive. Give them information, stories and evidence that reinforces why supporting your organization was a good decision.
Send an update about the work their gift helped make possible. Introduce them to someone your organization serves. Share photographs or a short video from your programs. Tell them about an accomplishment. Invite them to follow you on social media or visit your organization.
Most importantly, continue saying thank you. These communications don’t all need to mention the donor’s gift. The goal is to help the donor feel increasingly connected to the mission.
You don’t need a complicated marketing automation system to do this well. Consider developing a simple series of touches for every new donor during the first few months after a gift.
Start with an immediate receipt and thank-you. Follow that with a welcome communication that tells the donor a little more about your organization. Several weeks later, share a compelling story or impact update. Look for an opportunity for another non-fundraising touch before introducing the next solicitation.
