Eleven Reasons Donors Stop Responding To Fundraising Letter Appeals
Donors will stop responding to your fundraising letter appeals for many reasons. Some of which you can manage, but many of which you cannot. Use these findings to retain as many of your donors as you can.
1. They forget
\r I suppose you could call this a case of poor institutional memory. Donors simply forget your institution. They read your letter, decide to give, put your letter down somewhere, and then forget to mail you their gift.
2. They get distracted
\r Some stop sending gifts because they get sidetracked by other priorities, such as the arrival of children, or grandchildren. Or a hurricane hits their home. Or mum gets diagnosed with breast cancer.
3. They lose interest
\r Perhaps through a fault of yours (youve strayed from your mission, perhaps), but also perhaps because their interests change, some donors stop their support because your mission no longer excites them.
4. They suffer financially
\r In some families, the breadwinner loses his job, and the first thing to be cut is discretionary spending, such as take out food, movies and charitable gifts.
5. They die
\r You have no control over this one, or shouldnt have. A percentage of your donors will pass away each year, and their gifts in the mail will cease the same day they do. Thats why you are wise to invite your older donors to include you in their wills.
6. You mail them too often
\r Some donors grow weary if they receive too many solicitations in any year. A letter each month might be too many for some. One a quarter might be too many for others. Either way, they stop giving because they feel you are hounding them for their money.
7. You dont mail often enough
\r Other donors fall away because you are never on their radar screen. Your letters arrive so infrequently, or so unpredictably, that you never make a lasting impression in their minds-or wallets.
8. You dont listen
\r The donor made a complaint or a suggestion, and then decided that your organization did not respond properly. So they took their gifts elsewhere.
9. You treat them like a stranger
\r How many times would you need to receive a letter addressing you as Dear Friend before concluding that the organization was interested in your money and not in you?
10. They feel unappreciated
\r Donors like to feel appreciated, and like to know that their donations are being used to good ends. If your thank-you letters arrive late, or never at all, some donors will start giving to other organizations that show their appreciation.
11. You make them mad
\r Some donors will decide they do not like your new executive directors hairstyle. Or your new logo. There is something you can do to retain donors like this. But I dont know what it is.
About the author
\r Alan Sharpe is a professional fundraising letter writer, instructor and mentor who helps non-profit organizations raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors using creative fundraising letters. Learn more about his services, view free sample fundraising letters, and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.RaiserSharpe.com.
Successful Non-for-Profit Fundraising Letters Share Eight Qualities
Youll be encouraged to know that the art of writing effective fundraising letters can be learned. I learned it. So can you.Su...
Why Donor Acquisition Fundraising Letters Are Longer Than Donation Request Letters Mailed to Donors
Should you mail a one-page letter or a two-page letter? Neither. Mail a four-page letter.Im talking about donor acquisition l...
Lapsed Donors: How to Write a Fundraising Letter That Wins Them Back
Your definition may differ, but I define a lapsed donor as someone who has not donated to your organization within the last y...
Where to Look for New Donors for Your Fundraising Letter Appeals
Have you ever studied your best donors and wished you could clone them all? Maybe you can, with a bit of creative thinking.1....
Fundraising Letters Should Raise Donors, Not Donations, When Mailed to Strangers
Are you willing to spend $1.25 to raise $1? To lose money to make money? You should be. Most donor acquisition mailings neve...
How to Write a Direct Mail Fundraising Letter (Four Tips for Fund Raising Success)
1. Address your reader as a friend, not as Friend.When was the last time you received a letter from someone dear to you, addr...
The Fundraising Letter PS: 25 Powerful Things To Say There (Includes Examples & Samples)
Donors read postscripts. This is a sad but important reality in fundraising. Sad because the PS is stupid and belongs in anot...
Eight Advantages of Fundraising Letters Over Other Methods
1. Personalr Fundraising letters are about as personal as you can get with a donor without meeting face to face or talking on...
Attract New Donors with "Friend Get a Friend" Donation Request Fundraising Letters
New donors are closer than you think. Often they are friends of your donors, or family members.If you know someone who has un...
Spot Potential Direct Mail Donors Using the 3 Cs of Fundraising Acquisition Letters
What does an ideal new direct mail donor look like? r How can you spot one in a crowd? Or in a list of r potential donors? Lo...
Improve Your Donation Thank-You Letters, Cards, and Notes: Make Your Donor The Hero
One temptation in writing fundraising thank-you letters is to make your organization the star of the letter. You feel pressur...
Your Direct Mail Donors Should Be Arrested (By Your Letter Opening)
The first time I was shelled by enemy artillery, I learned a vital lesson that applies to the success of your fundraising let...
Effective Fundraising Letters Are About People, Not Projects (Includes Samples & Examples)
Have you ever met a donor who liked funding infrastructure? I have. Once.When I served as Director of Development for a natio...
Write Effective Fundraising Letters By Being Conversational (Includes Examples & Samples)
I am doing what you do, sitting at my computer, trying to get my thoughts out of my head and into a written form that will he...
Donor-Centered Newsletter Stories Increase Income, Boost Donor Loyalty
Your donors read your donor newsletter to discover news about themselves. You are of secondary interest. Like you, your donor...
Donation Request Letters Are Irresistible When You Enter Shooting
When the Argentine army surrendered in June of 1982, ending the Falklands War, some Royal Marines discovered that the quickes...
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Fundraisers
Fundraising is the term used for solicitation and gathering of monetary funds by requesting from individuals, businesses, cha...
Cookbook Fundraisers
Fundraising is a method used by non-profit organizations to solicit funds from an individual, business, or charitable foundat...
Get Personal: Letters vs. Direct Mail
One of the reasons direct mail works is the personal aspect. Its ostensibly a letter from you to your prospect. Because of th...
Sales Letter Writing - A Simple Step-by-Step Guide for Creating a Money Making Sales Pitch
Despite the variety of new marketing methods available today, the sales letter remains one of the most effective means of del...