Don’t be creative just to demonstrate your creativity.
Creativity can be an important element in a successful fundraising program—but it’s notcreative to dump the techniques and programs that have worked well for you in the past andstrike out in a dramatic new direction. Stick with what works. If last year’s spring appeal wasa big success, find a way to repeat it this year—instead of crafting a clever new solicitationbuilt on the theme of the economy. If your annual donor renewal program has been deliveringreasonably good results, don’t decide that it needs to be completely rewritten. Be content with the one in the hand, not the two that may be in the bush.
Raising $1,000 gifts by mail.
Many nonprofits draw a hard line between major gifts and direct marketing and membership,most commonly at the $1,000 level. Donors whose single gifts match or exceed that amountare automatically removed from the direct marketing people and relegated to the major givingstaff. The theory is that personal attention will elicit larger gifts. There are three principalproblems with this practice: (a) Major gift officers are typically too busy (or think they are)to devote time to donors of such a modest amount as $1,000—and often those $1,000donors receive
no
attention; (b) Donors who have increased their support to the $1,000level, often after many years of cultivation, have usually done so in response to directmarketing, not personal attention, and in many cases are uncomfortable about meeting inperson or even by telephone; and (c) There is no reason whatsoever to believe that directmarketing (mail, telephone, and online) is unable to secure gifts above $1,000. In fact, wehave been successfully soliciting gifts of $1,000 or more by what we call “high-dollar mail”for more than two decades. (You can learn about how we’ve done it in Mal Warwick’s book,
.) Your organization may be able both to save money on hiring major gift solicitors
and
increase net revenue by integrating high-dollar mail with your major giving efforts.
Cheaper to reactivate the lapsed than acquire the new.
For years, direct mail practitioners have realized that persuading donors who haven’t givenfor a year or two to renew their support is normally easier and cheaper than recruiting freshnew donors—and has the added advantage that reactivated donors tend to be more responsivethan newly acquired donors. If your organization has 5,000 or more lapsed donors, a specially targetedmailingshouldbecost-effectivesoconsidertryingit.Ifyouhavetelemarketingcapacity within reach—either in-house or through an agency—calling may make even more sense (and you’llfindoutveryquicklyifitworks).However,keepinmindthatit’snormalpracticeindirectmail to spend no more than three years to resolicit a donor. After that point, many mailerssimply include those deeply lapsed donors in a donor acquisition mailing. Such lapsed donorlists often perform very well in acquisition. And if a special lapsed-donor reactivation programis beyond your organization’s means, consider including in your donor acquisition program
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