It's Time to Rethink Your Donor Engagement Strategies

“A prompt, highly personalized thank-you leaves a lasting impression on donors,” says Libby Czerlinsky, director of donor services at Operation Smile. “In order to balance a timely response with personalization, we use a handwriting machine that ‘hand’ signs special acknowledgments and writes thank-you notes to high-dollar donors. We believe it’s important to keep our donors happy, and with every gift, we generate a specific acknowledgment.”

One technique to personalize a nonprofit’s message is through the capture and use of microdata — unique, donor-specific data than can be gathered from closely reviewing incoming donations. Specifically, microdata looks at the physical information from donor’s contribution by mail that is typically left behind the name, address and gift amount.

For instance, a donor who applies a stamp to a business reply envelope can provide valuable insight into the donor’s commitment to the nonprofit. This type of action should be documented and recognized in the nonprofit’s acknowledgment. Nonprofits that capture data at every touchpoint are able to make better informed, data-driven responses and refine their outreach strategies.

Knowing as much as possible about donors can help fundraisers keep them involved with the organization and develop greater retention. Nonprofits can break through the noise by utilizing traditional engagement methods, as well as emerging data and personalization tactics to focus on what matters — cultivating relationships with donors by addressing their interests and allowing them to communicate with your organization based on their preferences.