{"id":16701,"date":"2020-12-05T17:12:02","date_gmt":"2020-12-05T22:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/?p=16701"},"modified":"2021-06-01T15:02:03","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T19:02:03","slug":"mission-possible-turn-one-time-donors-into-recurring-donors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/mission-possible-turn-one-time-donors-into-recurring-donors\/","title":{"rendered":"Mission: Possible\u2014Turn One-Time Donors into Recurring Donors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Good morning, fundraisers! Your mission, should you\nchoose to accept it, involves the cultivation of an important group of people\ndesignated \u201cone-time holiday donors.\u201d You may select any of these methods to\nencourage one-time donors to create a recurring gift. However, it is absolutely\nessential that each method centers on one important element\u2014gratitude.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahem. Now that we\u2019ve gotten all the \u201cMission: Impossible\u201d references out of the way, it\u2019s time to take a look at one of your most important missions for 2021. That mission is to start cultivating and engaging the influx of new donors that accompanied 2020\u2019s holiday season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The process is way easier than whatever it is he’s doing here<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

How Do You Engage One-Time Holiday Donors?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One powerful way to engage those new donors is to encourage\nthem to become recurring donors. This is a great move for lots of reasons! One\nreason, of course, is because cultivating that kind of relationship with your\ndonors gives you lots of opportunities to share the joy of giving with your\nsupporters and can result in close donor relationships that benefit you and <\/em>your\ndonors. Other reasons are financial: recurring donors generally have a greater\nlifetime value (which is important to consider, especially when you think about\nthe money you spent on marketing during the year-end period). They also have\nlower churn rates!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Converting one-time donors to recurring donors can feel like an impossible mission (get it?). But it\u2019s not! Here are some basic steps to take as you work toward cultivating your one-time holiday donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Build a Great Receipt<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The first step in inspiring donors to donate again is to\nmake them feel fantastic about the donation they\u2019ve already made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use your automated receipt to your advantage. Include language about how your donor is making a difference, what their gift will accomplish, and what their gift means to the people you help. Your goal here is to connect the donor to your mission even more strongly by showing them the real-life impact they made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure to include a note about how you\u2019ll be in touch in\nthe future. Donors will be more likely to read future communications from you\nif they know they\u2019re coming! This will be important during the rest of the\nprocess!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Say Thank You and Share an Update<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Send an email to your donors shortly after the start of the\nnew year. In this email, thank them again for their contribution\u2014remember, they\nwant to feel good about their past gift before they give again! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After thanking them, share how much your donors gave as a whole. Place the emphasis on your donors! Instead of saying something like \u201cThis year, we raised more than $10,000,\u201d center your donors by saying, \u201cThis year, you helped raise more than $10,000.\u201d Then share what that money will accomplish. Keep them looking forward to your next communication by letting them know you\u2019ll send an update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Drop joy and warm-fuzzies right into their inboxes<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Step 3: Share Progress and Ask for Additional Support<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

At this point, you\u2019ve thanked donors for their gift and told\nthem how it will make a difference. Now it\u2019s time to show them the impact!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A couple of weeks after your last email, let donors know\nwhat their gift has helped achieve. Do this with a great story! Your story\ndoesn\u2019t have to be long, but it should be aimed at connecting donors to the\nreal-life people they\u2019ve helped. That real-life connection will be what makes\nthe next step so effective\u2014that step is asking your donor for additional\nsupport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you make your ask, connect your appeal directly to the impact your donor has already made. Then, explain how making a recurring gift will help magnify that impact. There are three questions you should answer in your ask: why should the donor give? Why should they give on a recurring basis? And why should they give right now as opposed to waiting?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 3.5: Hone Your Appeal<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Here are some good example appeals to get you started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your last gift helped provide hot Christmas dinners to\nhundreds of local families like Rebecca\u2019s. The holidays may be over, but we\nstill have work to do! Would you continue supporting our community by making a\nmonthly gift? A gift of $20 each month will help feed Rebecca and her family\nfor two weeks. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last month, we asked for your help to provide much-needed medical care for the animals at our shelter. And you delivered! Would you partner with our veterinarians in 2021 by making a monthly gift? A gift of $40\/month will provide a full round of vaccinations for 6 of our dogs.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you donated to the Habitats for Hope project last month, you helped make vital home repairs for more than 200 local senior citizens. Let\u2019s keep serving our community together! Would you help support that valuable work in 2021? A monthly gift of $50 will help fund our volunteers as they work to keep our community\u2019s seniors safe, warm, and happy.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your appeal will look a little different, of course\u2014those appeals aren\u2019t for real-life nonprofits!\u2014but we hope they\u2019ll get your appeal-writing ideas flowing! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 4: Keep the Conversation Going<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Whether or not your donors upgrade their gift from a\none-time donation to a recurring one, keep up this cycle of communications! Ask\nfor a gift. Thank your donor and tell them what it will achieve. Send them an\nupdate a while later and invite them to give again. It\u2019s a winning cycle that\nkeeps them engaged and involved in your work!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Now get out there and convert those donors!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Good morning, fundraisers! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, involves the cultivation of an important group of people designated \u201cone-time holiday donors.\u201d You may select any of these methods to encourage one-time donors to create a recurring gift. However, it is absolutely essential that each method centers on one important element\u2014gratitude. Ahem. Now […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[264,261],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMission: Possible\u2014Turn One-Time Donors into Recurring Donors - Fundraising Blog for Nonprofit, Educational, and Faith-Based Organizations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, involves the cultivation of an important group of people designated \u201cone-time holiday donors.\u201d Here's how.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/mission-possible-turn-one-time-donors-into-recurring-donors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mission: Possible\u2014Turn One-Time Donors into Recurring Donors - 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