Dayton, Ohio -- A national donor survey performed by Cygnus Applied Research found that over solicitation is the #1 donor complaint. It's also one of the top three reasons donors stop giving.
When you consider how expensive it is to find a new donor, the last thing you want to do is force them away. Sure, you may leave a few gifts on the table but I suspect that amount is much smaller than the value of the donors you could lose.
A good rule of thumb is always have at least one non-solicitation communication contact with donors between solicitations. For example, if you mail your newsletter three times per year, solicit between each newsletter. That may change the timing of your newsletters but may also increase your response.
It's also useful to calculate the ratio of solicitation communications to non-solicitation communications, with the goal being to have a low ratio. For example, if you solicit donors 10 times per year and send non-solicitation communication twice per year, your ratio is 5/1. That means your donors expect that when you contact them, you're asking for money. (Perhaps you have a relative who only contacts you when he or she needs something. You know what that feels like, so don't make your donors feel the same way.)
Also, ask your donors how often they want to be solicited. Many have set giving schedules. According to the Cygnus survey, 23% make gifts once per year and another 21% make gifts on a regular schedule. That's 45% of your donors who won't give unless asked at the right time. That may translate to 45% of your direct mail budget being wasted.
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If you are ok with door-to-door fundraising I have gotten really good responces selling gourment popcorn from www.justpoppin.com! They have many flavors to choose from and even have a neat option where you can get your school (or group) logo on the front of the canister!! It was super popular and we made a lot of money for our club!!!
ReplyDeleteAs a committee member and participant in a fundraising bike ride (I was the second highest fundraiser) I have found that this concept holds true at the personal fundraising level as well. Where I felt no compulsion against soliciting from people I am in contact with regularly, it did feel awkward asking those have I not contacted in a while, despite my enthusiasm for the cause. You need to build up your goodwill before asking, providing some value for your donors, otherwise you are overdrawing on your account.
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