Get Past the First Date With Donors

The American Red Cross' disaster fundraising and donor cultivation program is a great example for any nonprofit thinking about how to keep first-time donors on board.

My first date with the Red Cross

I made my first-ever donation to the Red Cross a few days after the Haiti earthquake. Knowing about the potential for delays acquiring mobile funds, I chose to make it online. The Red Cross' thank-you message, which arrived a few days later, spoke to the specific impact of my gift — from providing blankets to funding disaster response experts — to help me, the donor, feel that I'd made a difference. About a week later, a follow-up "Response Update" from the president and CEO of the Red Cross invited me to watch a slideshow of the relief efforts and share images with my friends.