Dan Shephard, CFRE, demonstrates how to avoid donor acquisition dead ends with tactics and techniques to find and convert prospects.

1. Getting The First Gift
(No Short-Cuts)
The Role of Donor Acquisition
in the
Donor Commitment Continuum

2. Getting The First Gift
The Donor Commitment Continuum
and Relationship Building
Convert patrons, clients, patients, visitors, volunteers,
readers, students into donors.
Interest
The Initial Gift (acquisition)
Annual Gifts (retain, renew)
Major Gifts
The Ultimate Gift
Short cuts lead to dead ends.

3. Getting The First Gift
The Preliminaries
Mission, programs, case for support
Do work that people care about,
work that will invite them to
learn more
participate
support financially
Remember what I just said about short cuts?

4. Getting The First Gift
Build a Contact List
Sources of names
What other information to proactively collect
To buy or not to buy lists

5. Getting The First Gift
Personalize Your Appeals
“I've learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
- Maya Angelou
“Martin Luther King didn’t get up 50 years ago and say
‘I have a budget and a plan! ’ ”
- Alan Clayton
Stories Transform Interest Into Action.

6. Getting The First Gift
Prepare to Analyze and Make Informed Choices
First, ask how you feel about & react to the
multitude of solicitations you regularly receive.
Consider a donor survey
Study historical statistics and trends
Identify and analyze resources
 Human - staff, volunteers
 Financial - expenditure budget
 Time for each desired appeal

7. Getting The First Gift
Track Acquisition Statistics, and use those statistics
Per Appeal
Total cost
# solicited
$ raised
Cost per donor
Track retention/renewal by the same categories to help
you determine which acquisition appeals work best in the
long run.

8. Getting The First Gift
Thank and inform your donors!
What’s the point of donor acquisition if you don’t keep ‘em?

9. Getting The First Gift
Acquisition Methods: Market Segmentation
The more personal the contact the greater the likelihood of
YES, of a higher success rate, of larger gifts.
Direct mail
Online
Telephone
Events
Individually

10. Getting The First Gift
THE NEXT GENERATION OF
AMERICAN GIVING
Convio, March 2010

11. Getting The First Gift
Acquisition Method: Direct Mail
1 % success rate
but steadily declining over the past decade

12. Getting The First Gift
Acquisition Method: Online
3 % Success Rate
But your success is in large part dependent on recipient

13. Getting The First Gift
Acquisition Method: Telephone
5 % success rate
But highest cost per donor

14. Getting The First Gift
Multi-Channel Solicitation
Email Mail Phone
Lower response Higher response Highest response
Lower cost Higher cost Highest cost

15. Getting The First Gift
Direct Mail Considerations
Recipients
Frequency
Format
Cost

16. Getting The First Gift
Telephone Considerations
Recipients
Frequency
Who will call
Cost

17. Getting The First Gift
Online Considerations
Recipients
Frequency
Format(s)
Cost

18. Getting The First Gift
Events Considerations
Invitees
Frequency
Existing Events
Solicitation-Specific Events
Staff and/or Volunteers
Cost

19. Getting The First Gift
In Person Considerations
Invitees
Frequency
Staff and/or Volunteers
Cost

20. Getting The First Gift
Plan
Execute
Analyze
Revise
“In my experience, getting new donors is a long,
organic process. No quick fix.” (Marc Pittman)

21. Getting The First Gift
Additional Resources
Donor Acquisition Strategies
http://www.fundraiserhelp.com/donor-acquisition-strategies.htm
8 Key Fundraising Metrics
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/management-tips/8-key-fundraising-metrics/
Scripting for Acquisition Calls
http://www.academicimpressions.com/news/scripting-acquisition-calls
What do we do about Phonathon?
https://cooldata.wordpress.com/category/phonathon/
Study: Nonprofits Score an “F” in Online Fundraising Scorecard
http://www.frogloop.com/benchmarks#ixzz3Nh9VvoOe
Seven Online Fundraising Strategies You Can Do Right Now
http://www.fundraising123.org/article/seven-online-fundraising-strategies-you-can-do-right-
now#.VKb1c3uqF30
15 Techniques Used by Top Nonprofits to Boost Donor Acquisition and Online Fundraising Results
http://npengage.com/nonprofit-fundraising/boost-donor-acquisition-online-fundraising/

22. Getting The First Gift
The Next Generation Of American Giving -- Convio, March 2010
http://www.convio.com/files/next-gen-whitepaper.pdf
2014 eNonprofit Benchmark Study
http://mrbenchmarks.com/
The Basics of Email Metrics: Are Your Campaigns Working?
http://www.idealware.org/articles/email_metrics.php
How Integrated Fundraising Maximizes Return on Investment for Nonprofits
http://www.ipmadvancement.com/?s=how+integrated+fundraising
Online Resources for Donor Surveys
www.surveyshare.com
www.fluidsurveys.com

23. Getting The First Gift
10821 Cypresswood Drive • Independence KY • 41051
www.thefrontlinefundraiser.com • (843) 693-5719