News Updates Acquiring And Keeping New Donors Is Now Easy Emotion, premiums, and lots of mailings are three keys to acquiring new donors for nonprofits. However, it requires hard work to keep those new friends of the program. Two long-time direct marketers and the director of development for a faith-based charity explained how they go about attracting new donors and what's needed to keep them during a seminar at the Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation conference in New York City. Premiums, "that's what everybody's using," said Scott Swedenburg, a partner in Mail Enterprises LLC, of Birmingham, Ala. "People like to get free stuff." And, while premiums work, to really pull in a donor it is important to tug on the person's heartstrings. Using emotional pictures on the envelope, "is one way to reach out to a person's heart," said Swedenburg. "And, don't think pretty," Swedenburg said. "We've tested a lot and found that a picture of a skid row bum will out pull a family or a mom and kids." So will the picture of a mangy, cold, wet, underfed dog, if you are an animal support group. But, inside the appeal package, it's important to include a happy photograph showing a positive outcome for the person or animal pictured on the outside of the envelope. In addition to using a heartrending photo on the outside of the envelope to get the attention of the prospective donor, Swedenburg said there should be teaser copy as well. "We've been testing this a lot and it works," he said. Lumpy envelopes also work well, he said. "It means that there is something inside and a person's curiosity will cause him to open it." And, that's the key, Swedenburg said, "to get them to open it." Once they have opened the package, there should be a strong message in the appeal letter. It should lay out clearly why the donor would want to "give to your organization." The letter should also include a story, about the homeless man who is in the photo or the mangy dog that has been abandoned. There should also be an "action item," Swedenburg said. Something that gets the person involved and requires them to do something. Localization is also a good way to grab a prospective donor's attention and to keep him once you have him, if the nonprofit has the necessary information to do it, he said. "People want to know that their money is going locally," Swedenburg said. He also listed five keys for a good copywriter: "Think like your donor when writing copy; Write like you're writing to your mom -- give it a personal feel; Use a 12.5 font size -- not all your readers will have good vision and use black ink on what space; Use more 'you' than 'I' in the copy; and, don't forget to ask for the gift." Chris Ragusa, president of Estee Marketing Group, Inc., in New Rochelle, N.Y., said another key to getting a new donor and keeping him or her is to make sure the ask is going to the right type of household. To do this, she said the nonprofit should do its research to get the types of lists that have the type of people on it who will be disposed to donate. "Knowing who your donors are and knowing your donor profile will enable you to decide what lists to purchase," Ragusa said. The typical donor for an average charity is a female, mature, age 50 and up and in the middle income bracket, Ragusa said. When deciding what lists to purchase, it's important to also know how much a donor will be worth over time. It can get costly for the smaller nonprofits when it comes to purchasing lists, so it is important that they do their homework first, Ragusa said. She suggested that nonprofits, as a way of finding new donors without spending large amounts of money, should "test lists conservatively, but test as many lists as your budget will permit." Jim Morrison, director of donor development for the Stockbridge, Mass.-based Marian Helpers Center said his faith-based charity sends out 140 mailings per year in 30 different languages to acquire new donors. "There are three ways to improve your bottom line," Morrison said. The first is to "increase the number of active donors, increase the average gift and increase the number of gifts per donor." Morrison's suggested methods to attract new donors include, using television or radio, cold mailings, sending out address labels and getting referrals from existing donors. Morrison said he loves referrals, but it usually takes three to three-and-a-half mailings to turn a referral into a donor. And, once you have a new donor, "cherish him or her," let them know that you care that they are giving to your organization and do whatever you can to make the process of donating easier, Morrison said. Copyright © 2006 The NonProfit Times. |
