Retention

If everyone is so focused on donor retention, why do people have trouble with the concept of “donor relations” and “donor experience”?...

Fundraisers have a heavy burden, especially when there’s a long list of rules to follow in our fundraising communication to please all the internal pundits. It’s easy to lose focus on the experts in donor loyalty—the donors themselves. So what are the building blocks for donor loyalty?...

If there is one area of "moves management" that never has sat well with me, it’s the word "stewardship." Stewardship is what you are supposed to do with donors after they give you gifts. The reason I don’t like it is that it conveys more of a passive approach to the relationship with your donor...

Donor retention should be at the forefront of every fundraiser’s mind. Your ultimate goal when raising funds is bringing donors—who feel committed to your mission and want to continue donating year after year—to the table. Simply put, your job is easier when you know you can count on a group of loyal donors time after…

Our friend Rory Green wanted to find out how nonprofits measure their donor stewardship and retention efforts. This is an important issue. After all, you improve what you measure, right? If nonprofits aren't measuring donor retention or stewardship, they also probably are going to do a poor job of it. So Green went out and…

About 15 months ago, my husband and I adopted a rescue dog from a Best Friends Animal Society shelter. Cubbie quickly became part of our family, providing me with companionship, as I work alone most of the time, and giving us another good reason to exercise. But like anyone with an unknown past, she came with some baggage, and it has required patience to get her to fully bond with us....

I have a story I want tell you. Recently, I’ve been working with major gifts officer (MGO) Janice (not her real name) in the San Francisco Bay Area to help her get to know her donors on her caseload...

I had an unexpected reconnection a few weeks ago with Rev. Tony Marciano, executive director of Charlotte Rescue Mission, Charlotte, N.C. The last time we talked was when Tony asked me for some suggestions on his receipting program. Since about seven years had passed, I decided to ask Tony how things were going. And what he told me about receipting and retention is worth sharing...

"How many of our first-time donors give again?" The Fundraising Effectiveness Project has been studying donor retention rates for years. Its "2016 Fundraising Effectiveness Survey" found that just 19 percent of first-time donors will give again. That stat makes me want to gnash my teeth and pull at my hair. After all the hard work…

Donor retention is a hot topic in the fundraising world. And it should be because retaining donors year-to-year makes your job a whole lot easier. If you are unfamiliar with this topic, then here’s a quick brief. What is donor retention? Donor retention refers to the number or percentage of donors that continue to give…