Keeping Donors Engaged When You’re Not Fundraising
January and February mark the end of an extremely busy season for nonprofits. The dust is finally settling from the year-end hustle and bustle, and now it’s time to plan the new year and ignore your donors. Just kidding!
Now is the time to nurture them! Quality donor relations and stewardship are important year-round, but especially right after they’ve given. Here are some quick things to keep in mind after year-end giving.
Increase Donor Engagement Through Email
Keep donors in your newsletter cycle, but also share impact stories, updates, and continue to thank them and ask them for their opinion. If you have your email list segmented, I recommend using personalization across stages for an individualized touch. Donors will notice your effort and feel valued as a result. Donor stewardship via email is easy, and it can often be automated. If you have your CRM and email platform integrated, you can set up automations so your donors at any stage are never overlooked!
Taking Donor Stewardship Outside
Quarter one is also a great time to engage in real life! If you have a space, consider having a small event or inviting donors in for exclusive behind-the-scenes access to your work. For major donors, this could be a great time to get your board members to invite them for coffee and ask for their feedback. If they’ve helped fund initiatives and programs, they will appreciate your nonprofit making the effort to value their input. This also invites them to be a greater, more tangible part of moving your mission forward.
A Major Mistake in Donor Stewardship
The biggest mistake in donor stewardship is not communicating after they’ve donated! Think about it: if you just gave money to a cause you care about and no one from that organization ever contacted you, how would you feel? Not valued. Unappreciated. Taken for granted. There is never a time we should make our donors feel that way! Donor relations best practices are to follow up with a thank-you as soon as possible. Whether it’s an email, text, call, or direct mail, your donor will appreciate this touch point, opening the door for lasting donor relations.
Another mistake I’ve noticed is ONLY asking for money. If every single point of communication is an ask, your donors are going to get tired of feeling like you view them as an ATM, then they’ll bounce.
Keep Donors Engaged Year-round
Email is my favorite way to stay engaged with donors year-round. If you’re looking for a way to welcome new supporters or re-engage lapsed donors, check out my free 5-Day Email Challenge. Each day, you’ll get an email template with a video walk-through so you can craft emails that pave the way for long-term donor relationships. The best part about this is that you can repurpose these for each segment of your list! Join the free challenge to get started.
