Building great donor relationships that last – Playing the long game

Donor retention remains the biggest challenge fundraisers face, and donor acquisition remains a herculean task as we unpack and unpick generational and demographic preferences and tendencies, as well as the decreasing numbers of giving households. The bigger picture should lead us to a few logical conclusions at a time when charitable and fundraising leaders must ponder how to best respond to the noise all around them.

Article from NZ Chapter Silver Partner Giving Architects

Many organisations have had very good fundraising outcomes in the past two years. This included organisations that found themselves at the frontline of communities impacted by the pandemic. Many organisations who simply continued to communicate very effectively about the unmet needs they served and the positive impact they were having also experienced very good giving outcomes.

However, there are early signs that the recent rate of giving growth, the ‘Covid giving surge’, has slowed. Drawing from this trend should encourage for-purpose organisational leadership to focus on effectively resourcing the hard work that is required to achieve donor retention. This may be helped when most (not all) realise that when they have had a surge in giving, it’s often come from donors they already knew.

So how might you achieve great donor retention with donors who have already shown you that they care about what you are doing?