A Multi-Level Approach to Lists

That Welcome Program includes a thank-you note, a call thanking them and then a new-member package, which includes a survey and some in-depth information on the organization.

“The reason we’ve found this step is so important is it forms a bond with the new donors whereby they are more likely to become regular annual donors. It institutionalizes them,” Walter says. As he explains it, often that first new-donor gift is for a specific reason -- perhaps in response to a particular issue or emotional cause. It becomes necessary, he adds, to tell these new donors more about the Heritage Foundation and what it stands for, “So they can support it for the long term, and that’s what this Welcome Program does and why it’s a part of the first-time donor renewal.”