Five Things You Must Do to Ensure a Second Gift

* Inform the donor what your organization already is doing with the money. Donors want to feel assured that their gift is having a direct, immediate impact.

* Reinforce the approach of the original acquisition touch point. Something magical happened during that experience that motivated the donor to give. Try to re-create that experience within the acknowledgement: The message should be consistent with the original appeal message, and the thank-you signer should match the appeal signer.