Persistence Is the Key to Effective Donor Communication

One of the most inconvenient things about being a frontline fundraiser is that donors don’t do what you want them to. Your life could be so much easier if they would just answer your email, pick up the phone, agree to your meeting and say yes every time you asked for a gift, right?!

But, of course, it’s never that simple. 

This can lead to a lot of discouragement. Just when it feels like you’re making headway, the donor pulls back and stops answering their emails or calls. Or a donor you had a great introduction call with stops being as responsive. You start to spiral and go through all the worst-case scenarios, trying to understand why their communication paused. And maybe, you wonder if this donor should even be on your caseload anymore.

With a fundraising portfolio of 150 donors, there are probably at least a few donors who have been in this hot-or-cold state with you. It can be incredibly frustrating. But it can also be a helpful reminder of the power of persistence. 

Remember, if you’re persistent, things will pay off. 

The Rule of Seven

Now, that’s not always easy advice to take. It’s human nature to pull back when we’re rejected. I can’t tell you how many major gift officers and mid-level officers I’ve met who, naturally, start to think it’s time to let go of a donor way too early in their relationship. While we are big advocates of letting go of donors who have indicated they don’t want a deeper relationship with your organization, there are times when you need to keep reaching out!

At Veritus, we’ve typically found that after a couple of attempts at outreach, most fundraisers will say, “I gave it a try. They didn’t want to connect with me. It's time to move on.” But this is often not enough time to really see if the donor wants to engage. Remember, donors have busy lives with many demands, just like you do. 

In our work with clients over the last two decades, we have seen that it can take up to seven touches for a donor to engage through our qualification process. This period is designed to identify donors who are interested in a deeper relationship with you and the organization. In this process, we see an average of one in three donors from your donor pool engaging, with the remaining donors either saying “no” or not responding at all. 

Consistency Over Persistence

Engagement is usually more frequent for qualified caseload donors, but even then, there are times when donors are unresponsive or do not engage until multiple attempts have been made. 

I know persistence can have negative connotations. Pursuing a donor can feel more like a game; something to conquer. It can feel selfish. But I like the way marketing veteran Seth Godin sees it.

In an older blog post, he wrote that he prefers the term “consistency” over “persistence.” Instead of feeling pressure to “stay on that donor” if they don’t get right back to you, a consistent approach honors the donor with openness and respect, allowing an eventual engagement to happen on their own time. 

Trusting the process goes a long way. It allows for disruptions and altered timelines. It allows for setbacks and letting go of donors. As long as you follow your plan, believe in your approach, and keep at it, you’ll find success in fundraising.

The preceding blog was provided by an individual unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO.