One of the hardest parts of fundraising is to keep receiving donations during a struggling economy. Those who have supported an organization in the past are perhaps the most logical choice for donations in the future. To successfully target these supporters, non-profit organizations should look at a number of factors to find out when and how these benefactors became involved. This may help improve the low donor fundraising numbers during an economic downturn.
Cause and Effect
When someone makes a donation to a worthy cause, they usually have a good reason for it, generally an emotional connection, a reason to support. It may be as simple as someone at their church or in their neighborhood asked for it and the person wanted to help out. When the cause involves medical treatments or illness, the individual may have a family member or personal experience and wants to help. Life-threatening diseases that directly affect a person's life are a common thread among donors to associations seeking a medical cure. When the non-profit understands the reason behind the financial assistance, they can often duplicate the plea and hopefully the monetary support.
Donation History and Levels, Source Channel
Non-profit organizations that wish to increase funds raised should consider the person's giving history; such as why they originally helped and what type of appeal they responded to when they were active and through what channel. A walk-a-thon or special event, for example, might draw a specific pool of people. Others may respond to direct mail from the organization itself, online fundraising or personal phone calls from people they know that are championing the cause. Repeating the successful channel and emotional tie may spur donations to help raise funds from lapsed sources. If it worked before, it may likely work again.
Database
When a non-profit organization knows who its past donors are, they are able to target those people to become active donors again. Not all organizations have a database of previous contributors. Some have never launched a formal campaign, while others do not have the manpower to create an organized list. Most organizations have a database-managed in-house or through a third party. The real importance is keeping the database updated, accurate and linking all donor communication channels.
Success
In conclusion, one way to revive donations from former benefactors is to make a special marketing effort that targets this group. Interactive fundraising is one way to do this. By requesting assistance from lapsed donors, an organization may rekindle their former interest and find renewed sources of money.
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