This week NPQ reported on a recent study that shows that small nonprofit organizations struggle with donor retention more than their larger counterparts. While this information isn’t surprising, the difference in donor retention rates between large, mid-sized, and small nonprofits is disheartening.
The challenges that small nonprofits face can be overwhelming. For staff that are low on resources and time, cultivating relationships with donors is something difficult to dedicate time towards doing. Data tells us that it’s much easier to retain a donor then acquire a new donor. Below are a few tips for nonprofits to help with donor retention.
Finding the right time
Twice a week, spend 20 minutes each morning – before you address your inbox or start anything else on your to do list – reaching out to donors and personally thanking them. This can be over email, phone, or a handwritten note. One of the best ways to carve out time for donor communication is to start it before your day gets off course.
Utilize your board
Most board members dislike donor cultivation and many nonprofits struggle to get engage their board in any kind of development activity. A potential compromise is to ask them to help cultivate relationships with existing donors. The time commitment is low for the board members and your donors get an extra benefit of connecting with someone who is invested in a shared cause.
Be honest about your size
If someone has contributed to your organization, they likely know the size and scope of your work. Take advantage of your size by sharing that their gift has a tremendous impact on your work and mission. Any chance for your donors to better understand how their contributions are being used is an opportunity for them to strengthen their relationship with your work.
Below are a few links for the week. Please feel free to view our Tumblr for additional stories.
- Mashable shares some of the mistakes that companies make when posting their content on YouTube.
- Capatricity is a company that transfer static documents into useable data. They are offering Digitization Grants for nonprofit organizations
- HuffPost highlights the philanthropists that won the The Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.
- While many nonprofits that rely on fundraisers may already implement these strategies, those that are new to the peer-to-peer fundraising will find these ideas provided by #fundchat helpful in better engaging their fundraisers.
Justin (he, him) is a Principal and Co-Founder of Social Change Consulting. He has over fifteen years of nonprofit experience, with expertise in online fundraising, digital communications, and data management. Justin helps organizations connect their communication strategy to their income development needs. When he’s not on the clock, Justin is exploring Berlin, running, listening to too many podcasts, and drinking too much coffee.