The Build Good Fundraising Podcast #36—7 tested and proven fundraising action tips to keep donors giving with Claire Axelrad
One of the biggest challenges in growing a nonprofit is donor acquisition and donor retention.
Acquiring new donors is hard work. And it can be expensive in the short term, especially if you consider that the first-time gift most donors make won't cover the cost of acquisition.
What that means for your fundraising is that you have to have a donor retention strategy in place—because donors grow more valuable every year they're with you.
Today on the podcast, Claire Axelrad is going to walk us through seven action tips you can easily implement to improve your donor retention.
Most of these tactics are evergreen, and you'll find that most of them are really simple. It's just that not many nonprofits are using them. Some take more of a commitment, but the return on investment makes it well worth the effort and the initiative.
Claire has over three decades of frontline fundraising experience, helping organizations raise millions in support. She writes an award-winning blog called Clairification, and she also runs the Clairification School online.
Today we’ll cover:
[3:14] - Action Tip #1: Including a handwritten note with your direct mail appeal.
[9:23] - Action Tip #2: Add a handwritten signature to your thank you cards
[13:06] - Action Tip #3: Add a Handwritten note to your Thank You letter
[17:36] - Action Tip #4: Enclose tribute giving envelopes in your newsletters
[24:33] - Action Tip #5: Include tribute gift envelope in Thank You letters
[29:17] - Action Tip #6: Include an invitation to a free event in the Thank You letter
[34:34] - What nonprofits can do if they don't have facilities they can invite donors to
[36:34] - Action Tip #7: Send at least one dedicated monthly giving appeal
{39:07] - Your best prospects to become monthly donors
[43:58] - Claire's encouragement for nonprofit leaders
Get connected:
Claire would love to connect with you. You can find her at clairification.com or on twitter @charityclarity
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