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Ways to Engage and Retain Donors for Non-Profits

08 May 2020
Ways to Engage and Retain Donors for Non-Profits
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Finding new donors for Non-Profits is an expensive and time-taking task. That’s why it's extremely important to keep your existing donors satisfied to ensure that they continue contributing to your cause.

If you want to establish a sustainable, life-long relationship with your donors, you must understand them before they donate, engage them after they write the check, and continue to communicate with them even if they never give again.

How to engage donors?

There are several ways to make the most of your relationship with your donors and keep them engaged with your Non-Profit.

1. Run campaigns to foster relationship with existing donors

Cultivating new donors costs a lot of time and resources. That’s why searching for new donors for Non-Profit organizations in your existing donor database makes much more sense. You already share a good relationship and rapport with them, so why not foster it further. You can also ask your existing major donors for referrals.

2. Research donors before fostering engagement

You can find a lot of information about a potential donor online. You can review their social media profile and understand what their passions are, what kind of cause they support, why would they be drawn to support your organization, etc. It is important to profile each potential donor this way before fostering engagement.

3. Connect the Donors to beneficiaries

Apart from sharing with them the impact their donation has delivered, you can also connect your donors with your beneficiaries. Whether it's in person or through video calls, providing donors with the opportunity to engage with those they impact is something they really desire.

4. Appeal to their leadership skills

Many donors want to engage with your Non-Profit even after they write a check -- whether it's as an advisor, a thought leader, or as someone who can help with the overall strategy. They want to bring their knowledge to the table and add value to your Non-Profit. You can connect with these donors for advice and feedback on how your Non-Profit is doing and what you can do to improve.

5. Engage with and appreciate your donors on social media

Donors of all ages visit social media websites every day, sharing photos and helpful information, watching entertaining videos, and discussing causes that matter to them. You can jump in and become a part of their conversation. Engage with donors by sharing eye-catching videos and visuals, showcasing the impact of their donations, helping them understand your cause, showcasing appreciation with thank you videos, giving social media shout outs by tagging, and using platforms like Facebook Live and Instagram Live to connect.

6. Make sure your technology is up to speed with feature-rich donor management software

If you want to keep your donors engaged, be on top of everything digital. Many donors are turned off by problems relating to website design, confusing information architecture, cluttered pages, and payment related problems. A donor management software nonprofits will take care of the entire donation process for you - the donation form, collecting donor information, processing the donation, and making sure it reaches your Non-Profit’s bank account.

Apart from streamlining donor registration, donor management software also allows Non-Profits to keep track of key performance metrics that matter such as average yearly donation amount, monthly donation amount, top donations, active donations, etc. It also helps in improving organizational efficiencies and productivity by automating payment-related actions such as creation and sending of tax slips, creation of donation records in the system, etc.

Final thoughts

Donor retention is not easy at all, but these above-mentioned practices can help you break the curse of donor fatigue. When a donor is engaged with your Non-Profit organization, they are much more likely to donate again and again & give in other ways too.