Gilmore Doculink is proud to be partnered with many of the most recognized and respected Not for Profit (NFP) organizations in Canada. We deliver a wide variety of services to these partners and one of the fastest growing segments is Cross Media & Direct Mail Solutions. More specifically, how these tools and solutions can positively impact new donor growth and help turn one time donors into monthly or annual giving programs. A small lift in new acquisition performance combined with a solid plan to reactivate lapsed donors is a recipe that will deliver long term stability in an ever changing environment.
One of the common missed opportunities in the plan to impact new growth and stem the tide of attrition is allowing existing donors an opportunity to give you a compass to find new donors. You also can give them a voice in sharing with you why they will stay a donor or no longer offer support in the future. Who better knows the value of your organization than those that continually provide funds or support, so why not ask them? To attract and maintain a solid donor base you need to ensure you are meeting or exceeding their expectations and this will likely change over time.
When building a Marketing Strategy you can answer a few important questions before looking for new members by better understanding your current donor base;
- Where are my donors? (Geography)
- Why are they still here? (Value)
- How do I explain this to potential new donors? (Message)
In some cases our NFP partners engage Gilmore Doculink with these questions answered, but in many instances we collaborate with them to find out this information. There are a variety of ways to mine this information from your current donor base. For example, you can use geographic mapping tools to discover clusters of high penetration in certain areas or dig even deeper to learn the demographic information paired with location details. An often overlooked initiative is to choose a mix of the current donor list and send them a pointed, short survey asking the questions you have determined as the most valuable and give them a voice in the future of the organizations focus. Often a simple offer of gift card or give away will be enough incentive to gather the most honest answers about your organizational value to your donor base, this feedback is worth its weight in gold. Gilmore Doculink has a turnkey solution for a very personalized survey process that can help you accomplish this with over a decade of proven success.
Once you have all this investigative work done how do you take the next step? Watch soon for the next posting; New Donor Acquisition
Thank you, Scott Cherkewich, Director of Marketing, Gilmore Doculink
