Keeping Your First-Time Donors: How to Get That VERY Important Second Gift

The Donor Attraction Letter

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Attracting a new donor is so exciting!
 
It’s always a big thrill to know another person feels strongly enough about your cause to marry financial support with their interest in your work. And there’s so much potential for what this new friend can mean over the long haul.
 
This first gift is like your donor calling out “Hey! I really like you.”
 
After you get this first donation, you really need to pull out all the stops to show your donor just how much this new relationship means to you.
 
If you don’t, chances are good your new donor will abandon you.
 
Attracting new donors is difficult. And it’s expensive. So you really don’t want to lose these new friends!
 
Retaining and building long-term relationships with current donors is the smart focus for any nonprofit.
 
Sadly, average donor retention statistics are abysmal: 7 out of 10 new givers say goodbye after making their first donation.
 
But, with the right mix of new donor communications, you can do a fantastic job of impressing your first-time donors, making strong emotional deposits, and getting that all-important second gift.
 
If you’re able to inspire that next gift, research shows you’ll be much more likely to retain that donor + keep her giving more and more over time.
 
How to Get First-Time Donors Giving Again
 
OK, let’s get to it!
 
There’s absolutely no mystery to what I’m about to share here. It boils down to some basics:
 
Having a plan and bringing it to life with communications that make your first-time donors feel special, appreciated, loved, important, happy, and confident that their support is changing lives for the better.
 
STEP 1: Shower Donors with Timely + Heartfelt Thanks
 
Bar none, this is the MOST IMPORTANT piece of the puzzle.
 
A lot of donors who jump ship after a first gift say it was because they were thanked poorly or, sometimes, not at all.
 
My TOP tip here?
 
Get your first thank you out within 2 business days after receipt of the gift.
 
For lots more practical tips on creating thank you communications that inspire second gifts, spend some time with my report The Art of Powerfully Thanking Your Donors for Maximum Love + More Donations.
 
In it, I share the story of how I helped one nonprofit turn a first-time $50 giver into a repeat $1,000 donor one month later. If your thank you communications need some tuning-up—such as if your letters and emails feel more like form letters or receipts—this report can help you inspire this same kind of generous, repeat support.
 
Here’s a take-it-one-step-further tip:
 
If your internal capacity and resources allow, I strongly recommend you send a custom thank you letter just for new donors. In it, you’ll give special recognition to how you appreciate that this donor has given for the first time.
 
STEP 2: Send a Special New Donor Welcome Package
 
Sending this to a new donor WILL get her attention!
 
Knowing what the research shows and after conducting a giving experiment of my own last year, I can tell you that most nonprofits DO NOT do this.
 
Not doing this step doesn’t guarantee you won’t get a second gift.
 
But doing it will undoubtedly send a signal to your new donor that you’ve been paying close attention to her decision to give. You’ll stand out. This donor knows she’s new … and she’s wondering if you’re going to do anything special to acknowledge and welcome her into your donor family.
 
In the noisy world we live in, standing out and “showing up different” is a critical success factor.
 
So go for it!
 
Take some time, if you haven’t already, to create a warm, personalized welcome package brimming with donor love. And get it sent out within 1-2 weeks of receiving the donation.
 
Earlier this year I touched on new donor welcome packages as a donor love MUST-DO. Click over to this post to review those tips again.
 
STEP 3: Keep In Touch
 
Just like a new friendship, if you don’t stay in touch, the relationship tends to fade away. Your lives simply move on without one another.
 
Don’t let this happen with your new donor friends!
 
Keep in touch and stay top of mind with these folks by regularly sharing stories and reporting back on how their support is creating positive change. The right frequency and type of communications will depend on different factors unique to your nonprofit. It’s worth every minute to map out a terrific plan that works for you.
 
Whatever you do, don’t be mistaken with the notion that you need to give your new donor “a break” from you for a while. Trust me: This is a time when she’s eager to hear from you, so stay in front of her.
 
STEP 4: Stir Up Passion with Involvement Beyond Giving
 
This is big!
 
When someone first steps up with a new donation, this person is in a unique emotional state.
 
Maybe she gave after visiting your website, clicking on a touching video, and shedding some tears. Maybe a friend of hers sent an email introducing your cause and sharing how your nonprofit helped her get through a tough time. Whatever the case, chances are good that the donor feels especially interested in and passionate about your work.
 
This is the PERFECT time to get to know more about what this person might find fulfilling outside of giving and invite them to consider non-financial involvement.

For some new donors, they will have already been involved. Maybe as volunteers in some capacity.
 
For others, this isn’t the case.
 
So, you’ll want to seize this opportunity to grow their bond and commitment by offering ways they can volunteer their time and talent.
 
A quick story to illustrate the power of this:
 
In a prior role of mine at a patient advocacy organization, we held patient education events around the country. In one of them, a patient—also a current donor—attended for the first time, along with his wife. They loved and benefited from the experience so much. Soon after, an email came to me from the patient expressing his gratitude and sharing his background/expertise with a hint of wanting to get more involved.
 
With some nurturing via phone and in-person visits, this patient soon became our new Development Committee Chair. He was a terrific fit and engaged in wonderful, regular dialogue with our Board and top donors.
 
With his level of emotional engagement heightened, his next gift was TEN TIMES the amount of his prior gift. And his next gift shortly after that was $1,500 more than the previous one!
 
People love the chance to “show their stuff” and connect with others who share passion for causes they care about. Be sure to give your donor friends opportunities to do this. For this extra attention and effort, you’ll be wonderfully rewarded with loyal donors who love your nonprofit.
 
STEP 5: Ask for Another Gift Within Three Months
 
All the donor retention experts seem to agree:
 
It’s really, really, really important to ask your first-time donors to give again within three months.
 
Many nonprofits seem to drop the ball here.
 
I think some development folks feel this might fall in the category of over-solicitation. They tend to fear a backlash from their new donors if an ask comes out too quickly.
 
My fundraising friend, please don’t be fooled into this thinking!
 
Research shows that if a donor doesn’t give again within three months, their likelihood of giving again plummets.
 
So, take heart: If you’ve done a spectacular job with steps 1 – 4, you’ve made many emotional deposits that have set you up for success with the next ask.
 
How should you ask for that second gift?
 
This, again, depends on different factors.
 
But, to give you the best chance at victory, don’t rely on this first-time donor responding to a “general” ask (ie: your next annual appeal mailing). Instead, plan for it. This likely will take the form of asking via phone or an in-person visit, with email follow-ups, too.
 
The big takeaway is this:
 
Your brand new donors need to be romanced a bit more. Just like when we’re dating someone new, we pay really close attention to how we’re being treated. This is what your new donor is doing. Give them every reason to say “YES!” to your next ask by putting new donors in a special communications cycle that unmistakably shows them how special, loved, and appreciated they are.
 
Dedicated to helping you attract and keep your donors,

Jen Viano
Nonprofit Writer/Consultant
Editor, The Donor Attraction Letter

PS: Want Some Help?
 
Have you taken the time to objectively analyze how a new donor feels during the first few months of their experience with you? Are you sending them the right messages that lead to continued support … or do they get lumped into whatever’s scheduled for everyone else?
 
If you want help developing a new, effective communications plan for your first-time donors, please reach out to me. Hit reply to let me know or call me at 248.957.8918.
 
Together, let’s make sure you’re seizing the opportunity to delight your new donors with compelling communications that make them feel blissfully happy about their decision to give to you.   
 
With some time and resources devoted to this, you can expect to greatly reduce the number of first-time donors who never give again. And, over time, you’ll watch your revenue grow from more repeat donors who make increased gifts over their lifetimes.