Tips to Retaining Different Kinds of Donors

“Appeal packets should have a higher production value than the standard and may include additional items,” the authors write, adding that “all communications should be personalized, should refer to the previous giving history of the donor and should recognize the value of the previous contributions” (Page 88).

* Low-value donors. Make sure you’re not investing more in this group than is warranted given the level of gifts you expect from them over time. But the authors advise that they not be neglected, as “sizable bequests can come from donors who have given little during their lifetimes.”

Maintain enough of a relationship with them that you retain their loyalty while obtaining a positive ROI. Send them a limited number of appeals and updates each year and urge them to “convert their giving to a regular commitment in order to reduce administration and retention costs.”

* Planned-giving donors. Develop regular feedback, updates and courtesy communications, such as invitations to special events, with these donors and avoid excessive requests for additional donations from them.

“These individuals have provided to your organization in their wills probably the largest single gift they have ever made to a voluntary organization, and they expect their generosity to be rewarded,” the authors write (Page 88).

“Building Donor Loyalty: The Fundraiser’s Guide to Increasing Lifetime Value,” by Adrian Sargeant and Elaine Jay, Wiley, 2004. $36. www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-078796834X.html