How many times have you seen the metaphor for your donor file: A big metal bucket. Water is pouring in the top, but it's also leaking out many holes near the bottom.
In a sense, that captures what's happening. We gain and lose donors. We only grow if we gain faster than we're losing.
But the Bloomerang Blog points out that our picture of the bucket might be part of the problem, at Let's Stop Putting Donors Into A Bucket:
The primary reason we have a leaky bucket is because we are putting donors into a bucket.
Instead of putting all your donors into one leaky bucket, consider putting them into smaller, more relevant buckets that are designed to be less leaky.
If you're treating all your donors the same, you are missing the point for at least some of them. Possibly all of them.
Here are some possibly important categories of donors who should be in their own buckets:
- first-time donors
- monthly recurring donors
- out of town donors
- donors who haven't given in 2 years
- volunteers who have not yet donated
- donors who have downgraded in the past year
- donors who have upgraded in the past year
- donors who have active on social media
- former employees and board members
- donors who have shared negative feedback
- peer-to-peer donors
- memorial donors
- donors who give through a donor-advised fund
Not all categories call for special treatment, but some do. Give it a thought. Maybe you should chuck the bucket!
