I had an interesting conversation with a friend this week. We were talking about direct mail fundraising campaigns and the importance of revising your list and letter became paramount as she recounted this. She donated $500 to a local nonprofit. Eight weeks later she received a letter asking for an $100 donation. Next time they may be lucky to get $50 from her. Why? Because they aren’t using their data correctly and that may give a donor the impression that the entire organization is inefficient.
Many organizations have large mailing lists and continue to “snail mail” donor requests. An efficient fund development office should cull those who haven’t given in a long time. They also must figure out if donors or possible donors would prefer digital communications vs. mail. And finally, they need to recognize donors for their donation and increase the “ask” next time around.
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