Welcoming New Donors

After organizations spend their time and money acquiring new donors this fall, many will only retain 30% of those new donors.

Welcoming new donors into your organization’s family

We know it is important to welcome a new colleague, neighbor or student so they feel like they are a part of the community. So, shouldn’t we do the same for our new donors?

Welcoming new donors into your organization’s family is a crucial step in building long-term relationships with donors. And as we move into the year-end giving season, when many organizations focus on the acquisition of new donors, it is important to ensure a welcome plan has been outlined as well.

After organizations spend their time and money acquiring new donors this fall, many will only retain 30% of those new donors. The Fundraising Effectiveness Project’s 2019 Q2 report found that new retained donors dropped 8.8 percent from the same six-month period in 2018.

What can we do to ensure we don’t lose these valuable new donors?  

Welcome them into the family! Get to know them. Call them, share updates, photos, newsletters and other communications with your new donors, just like you would with a new friend.

A new donor welcome series can be done via mail, phone, digitally or a combination of all.

First and foremost, ensure the donor receives a prompt thank you after their first gift – via phone, mail or preferably both.

Next, create a welcome package or series with a warm, personalized and welcoming letter/email and informational materials. Also, create a reporting schedule for when the new donor file will be pulled and information sent out -- typically every two weeks will be often enough. Once the materials are created, this can be a great task for volunteers or board members to execute.

Some great materials to include in the welcome series can be:

•     Introductory information about your organization/mission/goals

•     Communication surveys

•     Updates and photos of the project they supported with their first gift

•     Upcoming event flyers

•     Volunteer information

•     Monthly giving sign-up details

•     Social media links for regular updates and photos

•     Advocacy opportunities or other ways to help

Welcoming your new donors into your organization’s family will develop deeper engagement, create long-term relationships and likely result in more giving.

If your organization would like assistance in developing an acquisition or new donor stewardship plan, please contact me at alyssa.jefferies@meyerpartners.com and our team is happy to help!