Engage P2P Spotlight: 5 Follow-Ups for Better Online Donor Retention

Retaining donors is no easy task, but it's imperative that nonprofits organizations have strong donor-retention strategies in place. After all, it's cheaper to retain a donor than it is to acquire a new one.

Peer-to-peer fundraising adds another difficult layer to the retention equation. Often, donors to peer-to-peer campaigns donate at the behest of a friend or family member. Oftentimes, they have little or no affinity for the organization itself — they simply donate to help someone they know raise money for a cause that person cares about.

While that may be true for some, if not most, peer-to-peer donors, that doesn't mean fundraisers should throw up the white flag and forget about trying to retain these new donors. In fact, the donation itself provides an appropriate introduction to the organization and gives fundraisers a prime opportunity to engage with this new audience.

With that in mind, here are "5 Follow-Ups for Better Online Donor Retention" shared by FundRaising Success Editorial Advisory Board member Frank Barry, director of digital marketing at Blackbaud and blogger at npENGAGE. Barry is also on the planning committee of the new FS conference slated for Oct. 21 in Washington, D.C., Engage P2P: Redefining Peer to Peer.

Here are those five follow-ups:

• Deliver instant gratification.
• Tie offline contact directly to online gifts.
• Make it personal.
• Track time and ask on cue.
• Know donors’ birthdays.

Read more about these five follow-ups here.

And while not all of these strategies may be feasible right away for new peer-to-peer donors, retaining these new folks can be a huge boon for any organization.

To learn more on donor-retention strategies for peer-to-peer donors and more, join us at Engage P2P: Redefining Peer to Peer on Oct. 21 in Washington, D.C. Get more info here, and register here. Makes sure to use the promo code "FSNEWS" for $100 off the registration fee.

Hope to see you there!