Donors who are paying attention to you are one of your most important asset.
They have a lot going on in their lives (just like you do), so it's up to you to stay visible and relevant to them. Here are some great ways to do that from Get Fully Funded, at 7 Tips for Keeping Donors Engaged Using Fundraising Communications:
- Connect with them more often. Absence does not make the donor's heart grow fonder. When you let months go by with no communication ... you can easily be forgotten.
- Provide more quality and less fluff. "Fluff" is things irrelevant to the donor, no matter how cool you think it is. Talk about the needs donors can meet and the solutions they've helped make possible.
- Give them a chance to be heard. Invite feedback. Give them useful email addresses and phone numbers. Survey them. Donors you hear from often become your best donors. Even donors who never say a word -- but know they can -- also tend to be more engaged.
- Use a variety of communication methods. Use all the channels at your disposal that the donor gives you permission to use: Mail, email, telephone, text, Zoom, in-person meetings ... The more the better.
- Make it super easy to contact you.
- Show you are listening. Thank them for things they actually helped make possible -- not just for their "support." Find ways to say back to them things they've said to you. Answer their questions, publicly or privately.
- Keep it simple: one call-to-action per communication. There's only enough room in an envelope (or email) to fit one thing -- a single call to action. Don't try to save money by trying to crowd in all the things you hope they'll do.
