Blue strike webinar recapturing lost donors - sept. 15, 2015 final

RECAPTURING LAPSED DONORS
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors
Sept. 15, 2015 bluestrike.org
Join the webinar online
Meeting ID 29053098
Join by phone: +1-201-479-4595
Thanks and welcome to the webinar!
Participants will be muted during the presentation to
maintain good sound quality, but if you have a comment or
question, please use the chat box.
1

BLUE STRIKE
Recapturing Lapsed Donors

Blue Strike: Inspiring Support for Civic
Engagement
Mary Dillon Kerwin
President
marydillonkerwin@bluestrike.org
(703) 399-0855
3

WELCOME
• This is a 45-minute webinar focused on one of the most
common fundraising problems: lost donors.
• Intended for development staff who have responsibility for
individual giving.
• Developed with advocacy organizations in mind.
• Features straightforward, low-cost strategies for getting
lapsed donors back on board.
4

WEBINAR AGENDA
• The first part of the webinar will focus on some of the
most common reasons people stop giving.
• In the second part, we will use that framework to prioritize
a sample list of lapsed donors.
• Then, we will talk about the strategies for getting priority
donors back in the fold.
• We will pause between each section for questions.
• And we will wrap up by 2:00 PM.
5

ASSUMPTIONS
• These are short-term lapsed donors; last gift was between
12 and 24 months ago.
• We are looking for donors with a high probability of
coming back as well as those who are worth a special
effort.
• We need to allocate resources carefully.
• The goal is to develop a target list for high-touch contact
and . . .
• Bring donors back on board!
6

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
DONORS WHO GAVE ‘LAST YEAR BUT
NOT THIS’
7

RUN THE
“LYBNT” LIST
DONORS
WHO
GAVE
‘LAST
YEAR
BUT NOT
THIS’
8

NAME
LAST GIFT
DATE
LAST GIFT
AMOUNT REASON PRIORITY
Margaret Chen 2014-03-15 $1,000.00
Al Johnson 2014-06-20 $1,500.00
Henry Abrams 2013-08-25 $250.00
Carlos Gonzalez 2013-04-10 $100.00
Craig Arroyo 2013-12-31 $350.00
John Miller 2013-12-15 $2,500.00
Amanda Jones 2013-11-15 $250.00
Maria Salas 2012-12-31 $1,000.00
Mary Smith 2014-06-18 $250.00
Robert Stein 2013-08-20 $750.00
9

COMMON REASONS
DONORS STOP GIVING
10

NAME
LAST GIFT
DATE
LAST GIFT
AMOUNT REASON PRIORITY
Margaret Chen 2014-03-15 $1,000.00 tribute gift
Al Johnson 2014-06-20 $1,500.00 deceased
Henry Abrams 2013-08-25 $250.00 suppressed
Carlos Gonzalez 2013-04-10 $100.00 memorial gift
Craig Arroyo 2013-12-31 $350.00 intermittent
John Miller 2013-12-15 $2,500.00 angry donor
Amanda Jones 2013-11-15 $250.00 crisis donor
Maria Salas 2012-12-31 $1,000.00 unaware lapsed
Mary Smith 2014-06-18 $250.00
change in
circumstance
Robert Stein 2013-08-20 $750.00 moved/changed
11

1. Based on your own experience, what is
the most common reason donors stop
giving?
Take the survey now
12

IS THIS
DONOR A
PRIORITY?
YES, NO
OR
MAYBE
13

Common reasons for lapsed donors
1. Donor gave b/c business associate Priority? MAYBE
2. Deceased. Priority? MAYBE
3. Record was suppressed. Priority? YES
4. Memorial gifts. Priority? NO
5. Intermittent donors. Priority? YES
14

COMMON REASONS (CONTINUED)
6. Angry donors. Priority? YES
7. Crisis givers. Priority? NO
8. Unaware donors. Priority? YES
9. Change in donor’s circumstances. Priority? YES
10. No address, no phone, no email. YES
15

NAME
LAST GIFT
DATE
LAST GIFT
AMOUNT REASON PRIORITY?
Margaret Chen 2014-03-15 $1,000.00 tribute gift Maybe
Al Johnson 2014-06-20 $1,500.00 deceased Maybe
Henry Abrams 2013-08-25 $250.00 suppressed Yes
Carlos Gonzalez 2013-04-10 $100.00 memorial gift No
Craig Arroyo 2013-12-31 $350.00 intermittent Yes
John Miller 2013-12-15 $2,500.00 angry donor Maybe
Amanda Jones 2013-11-15 $250.00 crisis donor No
Maria Salas 2012-12-31 $1,000.00 unaware lapsed Yes
Mary Smith 2014-06-18 $250.00
change in
circumstance Yes
Robert Stein 2013-08-20 $750.00 moved/changed Yes
16

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
17

SORT
YOUR
LIST
USING
DONOR
GIVING
HISTORY
18

Next step: a second cut
• Once you’ve prioritized your list based on the reason for
not giving, you can push the low probability recaptures to
the bottom of the list.
• Then, you’ll want to sort by giving levels and giving history
to focus your efforts on donors who are most worth your
effort -- usually long-time donors, high dollar donors.
• Other key stakeholders may merit special attention, such
as former board members.
19

RE-INSTATEMENT
STRATEGIES
FOR LAPSED DONORS
20

Level 1: The absolute minimum
• Send a lapsed letter as soon as the fiscal year closes and
you know who has fallen off.
• Do not send a special appeal or additional program info.
Just a one-page letter that says “your membership has
expired” or “the date of your last gift was [date of last gift]
and amount” with a request for renewed support and a
deadline.
• Include language that says, “if we somehow missed your
gift, please contact us so we can update our records.”
21

Level 2: The 10-day blitz
• Send a personal email, mail a statement-style letter and
make a personal phone call - all at the same time.
• This all-at-once approach is designed to cut through the
noise, to get their attention.
• Make sure your contacts reference one another.
• Set aside a week to 10 days as a reinstatement campaign
and enlist other staff.
• Recruit and train interns to call as volunteers.
22

Level 3: Engage volunteer leaders
• Share lapsed list with board members or development
committee members and ask for help with follow up.
• Recruit volunteers for outreach, not fundraising.
• Brief volunteers on the importance of these donors by
highlighting their giving history.
• Try three-way conference calls to facilitate calls.
• Make calls in evenings or Sat/Sun afternoon.
23

Level 4: Change the ask
• Lower the threshold or minimum ask.
• Develop affinity groups or new categories for donors who
have to scale back. See How Affinity Groups Build Donor
Loyalty.
• Send a case statement that provides more substantive
program info; an explanation for a position on issue.
• Appeal to them with a special request, such as a
matching campaign.
24

Level 5: Analyze and target
• Analyze data on your lapsed
• Gather more feedback.
• Launch targeted reinstatement using custom campaign
materials.
• Donor engagement strategies.
• Plan for the ebb and flow.
25

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
MORE INFO
26

ARTICLES
• How To Write a Fundraising Letter that Wins Back Lapsed
Donors Network for Good Nonprofit Blog, Aug. 2008
• Fundraising 101: 10 Things You Need to Know About
Reactivating Lapsed Donors by Lawrence Henze,
Nonprofit Pro, Aug. 2009
• The Who, What and How of Winning Back Lapsed Donors
by Mary A. Bogucki, Vice President, Amergent
27

PRESENTATIONS
The Hidden Gold in Your Donor File – Lapsed Donors
Presentation by Becky Odom CFRE, Barton Cotton and
Krista Humphrey, Nat'l Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
Fund, direct mail, file segmentation, retention is the new
acquisition
Baby Come Back? Wooing Lapsed Donors
Presentation by Amy Ricigliano, Planned Parenthood
Federation of America, Nicole Titus, OMP, and Graham
Hunter, Direct Media for the Direct Mail Association. See
page 4.
28

Blue strike:
INSPIRING SUPPORT
FOR CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT
29

PREVIOUS BLUE STRIKE WEBINARS
Five Simple Ways to Upgrade Your Donors
Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at 1:15 PM ET
The latest research on popular upgrade strategies including conditional
ask strings; second-gift approaches; lists and recognition levels;
challenge campaigns; and sustaining gifts.
How Affinity Groups Build Donor Loyalty
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at 1:15 PM ET
A growing number of organizations use giving clubs and affinity groups
to build donor loyalty and improve fundraising results. This webinar
explored several case studies from organizations that have used them
successfully.
30

BLUESTRIKE.ORG
THANK YOU!
Blue Strike Webinar: Recapturing Lost Donors Sept. 15,
2015 bluestrike.org
31

QUESTION OR COMMENTS
32

Blue strike webinar recapturing lost donors - sept. 15, 2015 final

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