That to which we commit, especially publicly, becomes congruent with our self image.
A strong first impression sets the tone for everything that will follow.
We all know this.
But we don’t always live this.
Especially in our relationships with donors.
But, making a good first impression is critical if you want to keep your donors close.
Why?
Because, if you don’t, you’ll lose more than 80% of donors before they ever make a second gift.
To me, that’s fundraising malpractice.
All that work; essentially wasted.
Think about the time, effort and money you put into writing, editing, designing, printing and promoting your appeal, not to mention identifying prospects to whom to send it.
Isn’t it worth putting some real energy into keeping the donors who are moved to say “yes?”
Over my next few articles, I’m going to talk about the too-often-overlooked “secret” strategy of making good impressions: (1) First; (2) Second, and (3) Ongoing.
I call them “secrets” only because so few organization do them well. It’s something that continually surprises me, because they’re not all that difficult. You just need to prioritize them.
Today, we’ll start with number one.
1. First Impressions are Your Brand Promise
Think about the first impression you make with supporters as fulfillment of your brand promise.
You promised to do good work, in exchange for their support of said work.
Once they hold up their end of the bargain, it’s your turn to hold up yours.
But, if you just do this quietly, you can’t expect donors to return. Because they won’t know you’re being and doing “good” – just because you promised.
You have to tell them
That’s the only way they’ll come to trust you.
And trust is the foundation of all relationships.
Trust, however, must be earned.
The best way to do this is with a robust gratitude program. It’s arguably the most important thing you can do to retain and upgrade donors. And it starts – immediately — with the first gift.
Prompt, Personal, Powerful Thank You
I call these 3 P’s the ‘holy trinity’ of successful donor retention.
They come from Penelope Burk’s groundbreaking Donor-Centered Fundraising research. Her primary finding was if nonprofits did just three things donors would likely give again. Or give more.
What exactly is the power of a thank you?
Per Penelope Burk’s research, 45% of donors said it was an outstanding thank you letter that inspired them to give again.
Not a receipt. Something that shows you know the donor is a good person. That demonstrates a grateful feeling. That acknowledges the donor did you a favor — something really good.
SECRETS TO SUCCESS:
(1) Review your thank-you letter from the donor’s perspective. Quality matters a lot. How does yours stack up? Does it convey the donor’s awesomeness, or your own? Check it for pronouns. The best thank you’s are filled with “you” and the donor’s name, not “we,” “our,” and your organization’s name.
(2) Draft your thank you before your appeal. This helps you better understand specifically how you’re hoping the donor will help. Then, you can incorporate that specific call to action into your appeal – making it more compelling, and easier for the donor to visualize.
(3) Review your online thank you page. Your thank-you landing page is often overlooked real estate. Use your page as an opportunity to predispose your donor to make a next gift. But don’t sell; show and tell. Include a compelling image or brief video demonstrating the impact the donor’s gift makes.
(4) Make the 3 P’s an organization-wide policy. Online donors should receive an immediate email acknowledgment. Offline donors should receive a letter within 48 hours. Your thank-you should reassure donors their gift was received, appreciated and put to work for the intended impact. And don’t underestimate a handwritten note. Your goal is to make donors feel good — so they want to give again.
(5) Promptly call or text every new donor. Make this an ironclad rule. A senior development staff member may be more efficient than volunteers, particularly for a small number of new donors. For larger gifts — say, $1,000+ — consider having an executive leader make the call.
Fulfill on Your Brand Promise
All three “impression” strategies – first; second, and ongoing – are important.
But nothing is more key than the first impression.
Because it kickstarts the relationship.
And if the relationship starts out on a bad foot, it’s difficult to overcome the negativity it creates.
So, put some energy into your gratitude program, make a strong first impression, and create a positive impact.
This will lead donors to positively anticipate a budding relationship.
In fact, your donors will want to hear from you. At first.
So, don’t let them down!
Stay tuned for secrets #2 and #3.
Want More Donor Retention Tips?
Get my Donor Retention and Gratitude Playbook with 6 separate companion guides (purchase individually or at a bundle bargain discount). Taken together, they include everything you need to raise more money — by keeping more current donors and increasing their average gift! It’s filled with hands-on, practical information garnered from my 30+ years working in the nonprofit trenches. The Attitude of Gratitude Donor Guide alone is 98 full pages, with lots of ready-to-use samples and templates. You’ll save almost a third if you buy them all together in the ‘bargain bundle’. I promise if you read these Guides, and put the recommended strategies into action, you’ll keep more donors and raise more dollars.
If you’re not happy, all Clairification resources come with a no-questions-asked, 30-day, 100% refund guarantee.
Image courtesy of saeed karimi on unsplash.
