Retention

Does this sound familiar? We’ve all been there. A purchase that seemed like a good idea at the time but with such terrible follow up, we’ve vowed never to shop or visit again. Here is the hard truth, unfortunately. Is this how our donors feel? Unsatisfied and regretting their gift to our organizations almost as soon as they make it?...

It’s important to remember though that just because it seems easy, you, as the nonprofit, will have to make it easy for the donor to keep on giving.

It’s amazing to me the wild stories nonprofit leaders and fundraisers make up in their heads about why donors are not giving. It’s like you’re trying to develop excuses not to go out and fundraise — and you’re a fundraiser!...

For New York City-based Smile Train, the largest cleft organization in the world, its year-end efforts last year presented challenges, yet valuable lessons learned that it will utilize as it moves forward. The COVID-19 pandemic halted its work around the world, but it soon found its voice, urging supporters that its work is still needed. Now, capitalizing on last year’s fundraising success is vital...

We thought events were the point and that the event’s success would drive our success. Doing our business that way means we have to acquire 75% of participants each year. That path means we don’t retain many donors. In effect, we are letting our prospective constituents use the community clubhouse for a party, but we’re not making sure they move into the community...

Currently, Kim Goldsmith-N'Diaye, director of development at Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders in the U.S., leads all of the fundraising at MSF, including mid-level gifts, major gifts, planned gifts, corporate gifts and foundation gifts. In an exclusive interview with NonProfit PRO, Goldsmith-N'Diaye shared more about MSF’s donor retention efforts, gave an overview of its communications strategy, explained why its monthly giving program is so critical and much more.

If you look at the most recent statistics on donor retention, the year 2020 was not great. One reason was that many organizations put a hold on asking for contributions in the first half of the year because they worried about donors not giving. Many continued to be reluctant well into the second half. Hence, many donors who gave in 2019, never gave in 2020...

Hold on to your seat — you are in for a big surprise. Come with me as we explore new insight into donor retention. And there’s a free prize inside, too. Right now, I am going to give your organization 100 brand new donors; and you get 100 new donors; and you get 100 new donors; and you get 100 new donors. This is my Oprah moment — don’t spoil it...

In this episode of The NonProfit Voice, Nhu Te is joined by Laura Livadas of Solano Land Trust and Doug Schoenberg of SofterWare. 

Why are only 16% of nonprofits prioritizing an increase in recurring gifts and 15% an increase in monthly gifts?