Making Donor Acquisition Less Painful

Newly acquired donors should “pay back” your initial loss and future investment in a matter of months. But since nonprofit boards don’t like losing money (even short term), stacking the acquisition deck in your favor is essential.

Not to oversimplify, but your basic costs for a direct-mail acquisition package are copywriting, design, printing and mailing, postage, and the rental of a name. Mailing to deeply lapsed donors and non-giving prospects is a great way to acquire new names, but you eventually need to look outside your database if your goal is significant growth.