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Geeked up about donor retention
By Shane Davis on July 20, 2011
Lately, all I can think about is donor retention. It has me geeked up, to the point where I am not even sure where to start the conversation!
I think it’s because I’ve been burned before, 
having fundraised $7,500 bucks for a special event that I created specifically for a charity, then received only a phone call and a t-shirt before I started and no formal thank you. Relationship destroyed, fundraising gone, epic FAIL!
I look at fundraisers/participants/champions and feel they are being ignored. At the conclusion of special events it seems the charity just hopes they get the same number of attendees, fundraising about the same amount of money next year.
I believe you can control the long-term outcome of your events more effectively by reaching out to participants, reaching out to different level fundraisers in unique ways, enhancing their experience and treating them differently. You invest so much in the event itself, shouldn’t you also invest in retaining those amazing fundraisers who stand up and work hard for you?
Tell me great stories, terrible ones, methods that have worked and ones that have not. I want to hear it all!
I want to discuss:
- The investment math behind different types of donors and how the participant should stand out
- Existing fundraiser retention ideas and how they are working, looking at different types of events or campaigns
- New ideas and how you could implement them
Let’s get the conversation started! Looking forward to your comments.
Alex Bono wrote, on 07:17 at Jul 21, 2011
Hi Shane
Great post – nice to see someone paying attention to this issue! The same thing has happened to me countless times and it’s a really horrible feeling.
Some of the tips we give our clients include: lavishing attention on the top 20% of event fundraisers. Send them personalised emails, telephone them, give them a bit of extra help whether it’s collateral materials, support or just a pep talk. Post-event keep showering them with attention – after all these are the people who raise 80% of your event income. Take them on a tour of the organisation or a special project, invite them to a special event, ask your CEO or a celebrity supporter to call them personally to say thanks, ask for their feedback on the event. It doesn’t take a lot of effort or funds to do any of these things, but they can have a huge impact on your supporter’s perception of your organisation. It’s also important not to forget about the other 80% of event participants who raise the rest of the money. You can easily translate many of the ideas above into something more practical for a large group; personalised emails, thank you text message, thank you videos, and a status update on how their money was used later in the year are all cheap and cheerful ways of retaining a donor. A lot of our client host post-event celebrations for their supporters (particularly after events like the London Marathon). These sorts of events allow supporters to see how their money will be used, become inspired and meet the staff of your organisation. A face-to-face thank you can never be beaten!
Shane wrote, on 15:18 at Jul 25, 2011
Hey Alex! Great to hear from you!
Wow that is a solid list of efforts your charities are going through to increase their retention. Have your clients measured the performance of some of these ideas? What is working and what % of the participants return with these efforts? I like that several of them cost nothing to do except the time invested to do it. Thanks for the comments and keep me updated on your success!
Lisa Merhi wrote, on 10:41 at Aug 01, 2011
I had an experience with fundraising for a cause very near and dear to me…Autism. I raised money from friends, family and co-workers. I think the biggest shocker was how much swag I got from the Autism organization running the event. I remember thinking how much they spent on the polo shirt, T-shirt, Messenger bag, water bottle and hat I got as a thank you. I didn’t need all that stuff. I would have loved for them to quantity what my donation could help them accomplish. I guess my final comment would be: Be careful it doesn’t appear like you’re spending all of the donations on thank you gifts.
Shane wrote, on 16:25 at Aug 03, 2011
Hello Lisa,
Thanks for the comment! In the case you are describing up above I think that the organization might be using those items as retention tools for other participants who love getting swag and thus keep coming back. Best thing would be to suggest to this group that they provide an option on their online registration form to opt OUT of getting swag. Call it a “You keep it button”, the charity would love it because then they save money, but also they now know why you participate, because of the cause. Then they can tailor email messaging to you, focusing on the cause and not so much the incentives at the event.