Year-End Campaign: Tips For Retaining New Donors By Cody Biggs

 

As the year comes to an end, it's time for nonprofits to ramp up their annual fundraising campaigns. But beyond just collecting donations from your regular donor base, it's important that you find ways to effectively engage and retain new donors. Philanthropy doesn't have a one-size-fits-all approach — those looking for creative ways to reach out and encourage continuing philanthropic participation should look no further than here! Here are some proven tips and strategies by Cody Biggs aimed at helping you build relationships with new donors over the course of this year-endcampaign season.

Retain New Donors From Your Year-End Campaign With These Tips By Cody Biggs

1. Automate Your Follow-Up - Donors often require a level of follow-up to build an ongoing relationship with your nonprofit organization, says Cody Biggs, but that doesn't mean it has to be time-consuming for you or your team. By automating your system, you can set up emails, thank-you letters, and other messaging to go out at predetermined intervals, so you don't miss any opportunities to engage with your new donors. According to research conducted by the Data & Marketing Association (DMA), automated donor engagement messages can lead to a 91% open rate, far higher than average email campaigns, which only have a 20% open rate.

2. Use Social Media - Increasingly, more people are turning away from traditional methods of communication and towards digital solutions, especially when it comes to donating or engaging with nonprofit organizations. Social media provides a great platform for you to reach out and engage with your new donors directly, as well as increasing the likelihood that those who donate will share the news in their own networks. Platforms such as Twitter are perfect for quick updates, while Facebook is ideal for deeper engagement, such as posting stories from those who have benefited from your work. This can help create an ongoing dialogue between your organization and potential new donors which can substantially increase donations in future campaigns.

3. Ask For Referrals - Don't forget to ask your recent donor base for referrals! Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful tools available for attracting new donors. A simple email or letter can often yield powerful results, with 44% of respondents from a survey conducted by the Direct Marketing Association saying that they had been referred to an organization due to a friend's recommendation. Providing existing donors with incentives for referring friends, such as discounts on certain products or special offers, can further increase the likelihood of referrals.

4. Re-Engage Lapsed Donors - As important as it is to attract new donors, it is also important, as per Cody Biggs, to re-engage those who have donated in the past but not recently. You should create campaigns targeted at lapsed donor segments and assess your previous engagement tactics and messaging; this will help you build up a better understanding of what motivates them to donate. Take time to reach out on a personal level, showing them that you have taken the time to get to know them by sending emails or letters that personally thank them for their past donations and explaining how important it is for your organization. Research has found that proper engagement techniques can increase donor retention rates by up to 20%.

Cody Biggs’s Concluding Thoughts

By following these tips by Cody Biggs, you will be able to strengthen your relationships with new donors as well as ensure better outcomes from future campaigns. With an effective donor retention strategy in place, you can significantly increase the success of future fundraising efforts. Don’t forget to take the time needed to truly connect with those who donate and show respect for their commitment; after all, these are the people who are helping make your cause a reality.

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