When people think about fundraising ideas, they tend to think in dollar amounts. Most fundraisers focus on earning money for the short term and completely disregard the long term. This is where the idea of donor loyalty comes in. Any non profit organization or charitable cause depends on their donations to fund their efforts. Donor loyalty can play a key factor in this.
Today’s streamlined world, with the advent of the internet, has revolutionized the non profit sector causing an annual growth of approximately eight percent. This translates into trouble for you. With more and more non profit organizations popping up each year, potential donors will have a larger selection of charities to choose from. In a sense, potential donors will have an option inaccessible to them in previous years. People will now be able to “shop” around and consciously choose which causes their money will go towards. So what this means is that now you must sell yourself as competition increases if you don’t want your donations to start falling off. This is where the idea of donor loyalty comes in.
Donors can be categorized into different groups. There are those that donate once and will never donate again. There are those that donate initially and would be willing to donate again, but they are just as likely to donate to another cause. Finally, there are those who are lifetime donors who have a positive image of your non profit organization. These are the donors that truly believe in your cause and act as advocates for your group. When brainstorming fundraising ideas, do not forget to include this group. Goals should be set to convert all donors of the first two groups to the latter. A fundraising campaign should not only seek to raise money, but act to build donor relations and encourage them to become lifetime donors. Think about it as an investment for the future.
It has been proven that past donors are more likely to give again and potential donors are more likely to donate to your charity if the following three guidelines are followed.
- Donors are given acknowledgement of their contribution in the form of a prompt, personalized card or gift.
- Donors are given confirmation of where their money is going. Donors will be more likely to give again if they feel their contributions are being use as intended.
- Donors are given measurable results on a previous gift before making another request for a donation. Donors like to feel they are making a difference. Tell them what their money is being spent on and how it has helped your organization. You’ll see an immediate difference.
Follow these few fundraising ideas and you will notice an immediate increase in your donor loyalty.
