A strong retention program stems from donors feeling appreciated by and connected with an organization. One way to achieve this connection is by implementing a data, feedback, and service strategy. As outlined in a new CDS Global white paper, “Donor Data, Feedback & Service: The Key to Retention,” there are several steps you should take to effectively implement this strategy. Check out our new "16 Steps to Boost Donor Retention" action list for some quick tips from the white paper that will jump start your donor retention plan.

1. You know the numbers: Acquiring a donor is six to seven times more expensive than retaining
one.1
And lowering attrition rates just 10 percent can improve the lifetime value of a donor
base by up to 200 percent.2
A strong retention program stems from donors feeling appreciated by and connected with an
organization. One way to achieve this connection is by implementing a data, feedback and
service strategy.
As outlined in a new CDS Global white paper, “Donor Data, Feedback & Service: The Key
to Retention,” there are several steps you should take to effectively implement this strategy:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
cds-global.com/nonprofits 16 Steps to Boost Donor Retention
16 Steps to Boost
Donor Retention
USING DATA, FEEDBACK & SERVICE
DATA
Collect data purposefully, with clear goals for what you
want to learn.
Include options on forms and letters that let donors write in their
interests and values.
Augment your data to gain a more complete picture of donors:
• Cross-reference against other databases containing information
about your donors, and append that information to your file.
• Using the donor data you already have, implement predictive
response modeling to identify persons most likely to
donate again.
Keep track of the programs that your donors engage
with the most, the events in which they have participated
and the campaigns to which they have responded.
Feed information from all channels – online and offline – into a central CRM database,
whether the information is from face-to-face meetings, a donation form or other means.
Tailor messaging to resonate with the donor’s values – values uncovered by the data that
has been collected.
FEEDBACK
Assign more value to donor feedback – start soliciting your donors for their opinions and
experiences. The act of collecting donor feedback alone is enough to help reduce attrition.
Establish a donor feedback strategy based on the following best practices:
• Collect feedback at key touchpoints, such as when an agent receives a call or when a donor is
filling out an online form.
• Apply business rules to determine the next-best action based on the feedback, such as escalating
and resolving an issue or thanking a donor.
• Follow up to resolve a donor’s negative experience with the organization or to build upon a
donor’s positive experience.
Develop a comprehensive profile of donors’
demographics, values and donation habits.
PAGE
01

2. Collect feedback on both diagnostic and relational measurements:
• Diagnostic – the customer service/feedback interaction itself
• Relational – how the donor feels about the nonprofit
Make sure the marketing and fundraising teams are behind your feedback strategy – not just
customer service/operations. Feedback should be a core part of donor communications.
Use the information gathered from feedback to know when to appeal to your donors;
the best time to ask for a donation is on the heels of a great experience the donor had
with the organization.
SERVICE
Reach out to dissatisfied donors. You’ll recover some, ensuring a strong donor base.
And you’ll learn why some donors leave, giving you an opportunity to minimize
that risk in the future.
Invest in service recovery using tools you already have – even if only time and attention.
Use an interactive voice response (IVR) system to automate surveys and speed up donor
service interactions.
• Example IVR use case: Callers are greeted by a recorded voice thanking them for calling and
asking them to take a survey after speaking with an agent. Following the conversation with a
sponsor care representative, the IVR system launches the survey.
cds-global.com/nonprofits 16 Steps to Boost Donor Retention
9
10
11
12
13
14
Identify satisfied and unsatisfied donors and determine appropriate follow-up depending on status.
• Follow up with a thank-you email or other correspondence to satisfied donors, solidifying
the relationship.
• For dissatisfied donors:
Analyze the situation to determine the problem and assess how to get things back on track.
Follow up quickly – within hours – to resolve their issues and restore them as donors.
Watch and improve your service processes over time, and plan for integration; be prepared to use
service data in other areas of the organization.
15
16
The act of giving
feedback changes donors’
behavior and increases
retention rates. So what
exactly is donor feedback?
• A product of
structured listening
• Useful information
organizations usually
get only if they ask for it
• A donor providing an
organization with
something they
consider valuable
Watch the webinar “Donor
Data: The Key to Retention”
at www.cds-global.com/
resources/webinar-key-
donor-retention.
Read the white paper “Donor
Data, Feedback & Service:
The Key to Retention” at
www.cds-global.com/
resources/ whitepaper
-key-donor-retention.
1
Chuck Longfield, “SlideShare: Donor Retention Fundraising Ideas from 14 Nonprofit Experts,” Blackbaud,
2014, http://www.slideshare.net/blackbaud/donor-retention-fundraising-ideas-from-14-nonprofit-experts.
2
Adrian Sargeant and Jen Shang, “Growing Philanthropy in the United States: A Report on the June 2011
Washington, D.C. Growing Philanthropy Summit,” Blackbaud, 2011, https://www.blackbaud.com/files/
resources/downloads/WhitePaper_GrowingPhilanthropyReport.pdf.
CALL HANDLING WITH AN IVR SYSTEM
PAGE
02
REVISED: 04.01.15