We're in that time of the year when most of us do a lot of fundraising. And that's smart, because it's the time of year when donors are likely to donate.
Then January rolls around.
Many organizations think that means it's time to shut the heck up! To give your donors a "rest" from all that communication.
So they go incommunicado for a month. Or two. Or three. Or more.
You might feel you're doing a service by not bugging them.
What you're really doing is telling them nothing is happening and they aren't needed. Your silence isn't appreciated. It isn't even noticed. You and the good work you do just fade off their radar.
As The Better Fundraising Blog, says, Never Go Dark on your valued donors.
It's a quick path to worse donor attrition.
Like a good friend, when you show up in your donors’ lives, talk about your donors and not about your organization. Show up and tell donors what’s happening with the ... cause that they care about. Show up and “report back” to donors the amazing things their gift has made possible through your organization.
Testing by many organizations makes it clear: Going dark on donors does one thing: it increases donor attrition.
You don't get brownie points for not communicating. No more than you do in your real human relationships.
