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Random Things Worth Noticing So Far in 2018

As we wrap up the third month of 2018, there are a few things that keep bubbling to the surface of my awareness, so I thought I’d share just a few.

Fundraising ROI – The second gift is the most important one. The statistics for repeat gifts are dismal. You need to understand your cost per acquisition of a new donor because the reality is that you won’t meet your ROI until you receive that second gift.

This seems easy, but spending the most time on thanking and getting to know your new donor is well worth the time spent.

Donor recognition ideas need to be part of your overall strategy year-round. I don’t think I could write about the donor thank you often enough.

On that note, the days of sending an acknowledgement letter that looks like it’s been written by an IRS agent are OVER! Get creative on your thank you messages and your methods of thanking for each and every gift.

Facebook – 60 year olds+ are on Facebook now. Make sure your communications on Facebook are professional and relevant all of the time. Yes, you can make it fun. 🙂 Most importantly, make it consistent and in line with your brand, your mission and your values.

Monthly donors are coming into play a lot more – this is becoming more of a trend than in year’s past. These are also the most valuable donors to acquire because statistics show that they stick with you, year after year. Make sure and communicate to them how important they truly are.

Surveys are definitely a key trend – ask your donors which of your programs they feel most passionate about, which they wish they had more information about, etc. Things like this will help you understand where the trends are in your own donor database.

Online chat. Having an online chat feature on your website will alleviate lots of employee time if you can use the tool to answer your most frequently asked questions. It will become much more prevalent as a way to stand apart from the crowd on Giving Tuesday appeals.

GoFundMe is becoming a real player. It’s not only for teachers anymore. It’s becoming a real player in disaster relief fundraising, personal medical expenses, and team sports expenses as well.

Giving Tuesdays – nonprofits need to be careful to use a much more focused approach for their Giving Tuesday appeals. Make sure you’re not targeting potential major gift donors. In other words, don’t use a shotgun approach and simply send to your entire list. Rather, make it more of an opportunity to recapture lapsed donors and to rev up your current donors. Segmenting your list is key. Expectations should remain fairly low.

What trends have you noticed this year? Better yet, which will you be applying to your fundraising strategy this year?

 

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