When you’re running a charity, attracting donors is only the first step. The bigger challenge is encouraging them to return with repeat donations. Studies indicate that about 60% of donors give once and never come back. The reason for this is that donors don’t believe their contributions are truly valued by the charity and that they are making a difference. Providing genuine updates is a powerful way to help them feel important.
There’s much more you can do, even if you’re already thanking them and informing them about future fundraising events. Many nonprofit CRMs make it easier for you to communicate with your donors and provide authentic updates. If you run a charity organisation and are wondering how to keep your current donors, this guide can help.
Why Authentic Updates Matter
Many nonprofits are reluctant to provide too frequent updates for fear that their donors will grow tired of them. Nevertheless, that is untrue, and donors actually stop supporting organisations when their contributions are the only thing that is valued.
That’s why you need to give your donors timely, real updates. They help donors see the difference they are making and strengthen their trust. Donors are also more likely to share these stories with their own networks, which may help you attract more donors.
Here are some examples of updates you could send to your donors:
1. Personalised Gratitude
Every donor expects a thank-you email that acknowledges their contribution. However, a heartfelt note in the email goes a long way in building your donor relationships.
Instead of a generic text acknowledging their contribution, try adding some data. It could be something like ‘your donation helped a certain number of people’ or ‘it assisted us in providing a specific service to someone’. The thank-you email does not have to be long; it simply needs to be personalised to reflect the donor’s donation.
2. Share Progress, Not Just Success
Many charities in their initial stages shy away from contacting their donors unless they have major news to share. Although a finished project is a powerful statement, donors who wish to support you along the way would also like to know about ongoing developments. You can keep your donors happy by sending them a message like, “We’re still short of our goal, but here’s what we have achieved so far with your support.”
3. Highlight the Human Stories
Sometimes, you need to share stories beyond the numbers. If you have helped an individual through your charity, share their story with your donors. The story might, for instance, focus on something as minor as feeding a family or something more significant like housing them. Using storytelling to demonstrate the impact of your charity increases the likelihood that donors will continue to support it.
4. Be Honest About Setbacks
As important as it is to share the impact and real stories about people, it’s also important to acknowledge any setbacks you might be facing. You could feel that you might lose donor trust if you talk about setbacks. However, donors will tend to trust you more if you do so. If you were unable to reach the number of people you had promised to help, let your donors know. If you have strategies in place to deal with the setback, you could also pair these updates.
5. Introduce Them to Your People
A donor will be more compelled to donate again when they see or meet the people who are working behind the scenes. Instead of donating to an organisation, they are donating to a group of people who are working on making a difference. Talk about your volunteers who have been working tirelessly. In your monthly donor updates, you could highlight one employee every month. This is likely to keep the donors involved because it lets them know they are a part of a larger endeavour.
Final Thoughts
Many charities spend a lot of time trying to get new donors and reach new people. However, apart from that, they should also focus their efforts on retaining the older donors. When you share multiple and authentic updates with your donors, you’re nurturing a relationship with them. A relationship that will make sure that they’re engaged with your nonprofit organisation and continue to donate when possible. When you keep your donors involved with your charity, they also become advocates who help spread the cause and get more people to contribute through word of mouth. In a world where there’s a lot of competition and people have lower attention spans, doesn’t that make this relationship worth your efforts?
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