Donors Need to Be Reminded That You Need Them

I remember well the day I realized a fact of life. It was gloomy with a cloudy sky that threatened rain. But that was nothing compared to the gloom that settled over me when I discovered the truth: My donors weren't waking up thinking about my organization, thinking about us all day long and going to sleep with my latest direct-mail ask circulating in their minds.
OK, so it wasn't that dramatic. But the truth is, our donors probably support multiple nonprofits and are approached by many others searching for new donors. Boring them over and over or deciding that we won't mail or e-mail because "we don't want to bother them" gives them a great opportunity to think about other nonprofits and perhaps make their donations to those other (also worthy) groups.