Move ‘Em on Up!
Compelling donors to give more is about motivation and intentionality. It’s not just about the ask.
We have talked about motivation already. How you communicate with each donor makes a big difference in their connection to the work. So start with a communications audit. Is it engaging? Are you using the triangle method to keep your donors close to the impact? And, are you communicating differently to the major donors as compared to the smaller donors?
Then move to the intentionality. It starts with having a clean database, categorized, and then moves to make unique and specific asks of each donor if they are a major donor or each segment. Look for patterns. Are major donors continuing to increase or decrease their giving? Treat them uniquely. Are mid-segment donors as a whole trending upward or downward? All of this intelligence will help you determine next-level asks.
When you decide on move amounts, you can choose to make these moves either on time-based intervals like 60 days after a first gift or on an annual basis once they have established loyalty. Or, you may choose to make these asks around specific campaigns or an annual fundraiser. Again, the key is coordination. Make sure the donor is not confused by the asks they receive through your various modes of communication.
Here are a few tips for each segment that can help you build a calendar of asks to follow:
Non-Donor -to- Small Donor: This should be centered around an entry-level gift at a small level. Think about using a sprint campaign online around a specific need, or a set campaign like GivingTuesday to engage them in their first donation. Then, in about 2-3 months, you can ask for a second one-time gift or invite them to be a monthly donor.
Small Donor -to- Larger Donor: This applies to monthly or one-time givers. Put each donor on an annual rotation of being asked to give more, based on the month of their first gift. This gives you activity each month of sending emails or making calls to share new stories of impact and to make an ask.
Monthly -to- Adding a Larger One-Time: Rarely jeopardize a monthly gift for a larger one-time gift. But there are likely a few good cases where a monthly donor may want to give above and beyond at year-end. Find the right time for that, research their current situation, and make a specific ask.
Now, share that calendar through a Google Doc or some other real-time mechanism with anyone who has contact with donors. Before they connect with the donor, they should check all notes on the donor database manager and on the calendar to make sure there are no competing or confusing asks.
Moving your donors to a higher level of giving is imperative. It’s a critical way to grow your giving, aside from acquiring new donors. And, frankly, it’s oftentimes easier than acquiring new donors! So don’t forget to be intentional and specific, and to give new and fresh reasons to give that are still tied to your mission.