Robots Make Bad Fundraisers, Steven Shattuck describes a piece of communication he received from a nonprofit, it read:
Whether you have donated today, previously given, or still plan to give, we thank you for your ongoing support.
This kind of writing happens when nonprofits list all the possible reasons for sending out a piece of collateral. It is usually done because the nonprofit doesn't have the tools to "segment" their audience. "Segmenting" is a term that refers to dividing your donors up into groups so you can communicate uniquely with them.
Why does this matter? Because:
The lack of personalized communications is one of the core reasons that donors stop giving.
Nonprofits who segment their donors into unique groups based on frequency and recency of giving, reasons for giving, interests, and other demographic information have taken a significant step toward increasing their donor retention rates.
Remember, the average donor retention rate for the nonprofit sector is 45%.
This means that, without special care, only four out of ten of your present donors will still be engaged with you next year.
In real numbers, that means your 100 engaged donors, without real work, will likely shrink to 40 in one year. OMG! Nonprofit leaders live the exhausting life of trying to find more new donors each year while even more leave out the back door.
One of the biggest reasons we will lose donors: The lack of personalized communications.
GETTING STARTED
(From Beginners Guide To Nonprofit Data Segmentation, Bloomerang)
1. Create Your Segments
2. Use mail-merge fields for personalization.
3. Craft custom communications to each segment
LEARN MORE
Bloomerang and Steven Shattuck have created a free guide that you can download for free. Stop making donors feel like a tiny fish in a big crowded pond! Start creating better communications today!
FREE DOWNLOAD: BEGINNERS GUIDE TO NONPROFIT DONOR SEGMENTATION
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