It's great that you've been receiving a lot of donation for this holiday season. However, you know that after the holiday season is over, it's back to the usual business of focusing on the mission. The thing is, you get a lot of your money from the holidays. In fact, according to the Network For Good, one-third of all online donations are made in December. The only other time you'll be able to raise as much money is either through consistently scheduled annual or semi-annual fundraising, as well as if a timely event makes your cause a more urgent priority, like after a natural disaster.
But what if my organization doesn't have anything to do with natural disasters?
Well, the point is that your donors probably give most during specific points during the year. However, you probably want to do more to ensure that they don't just donate once per year, if that. That means you have to create a relationship with the donor that lasts beyond the fleeting moments of December. This is something that constituent relationship management software can assist with this by maximizing impact and tailoring communications with the person donating. Turning holiday supporters into regular supporters throughout the year can drastically impact the amount of money you receive on a regular basis. It will help you rely less on December or annual drives to survive throughout the year.
Making donors available year-round means building a relationship with them.So how would I do that? Donors tend to donate more in December because of tax deductions.
You're certainly not wrong to believe that. Still, you can make a difference in many ways, enough so that people will maintain their interest in your organization throughout the year. You need to improve your donations strategy online by making monthly donations as easy as spreading peanut butter on bread. Another idea to consider as recommended by public relations firm Roberts Communications is creating a continuous crowdfunding campaign that people can donate to during the slower seasons. Finally, you should be able to greet your newest donors through an email welcome series that formally introduces them to your organization
An email welcome? Instead of just saying, 'Thank you for your donation?'
Well, you can still do that. However, the key here is that after saying thank you and allowing some time after the initial donation – probably after the start of the new year – you can send a few messages welcoming the donor as a member of your organization. In creating this welcome series, you should look to develop ways to get to know the constituent. For example, you should start with a nice headline greeting the supporter and showing appreciation for them backing the mission of your nonprofit. From there, the content of the emails should go a little bit into what the recipient should expect in future newsletters and other emails. Once you make your case in the first email, Network for Good suggests sending more every couple weeks. These messages should discuss your organization and explain what the donor can do to help. By inciting his or her interest through involvement in other means, you can help him or her feel compelled to donate more often not.