Let Your Donors Feel the Love

Unpopular opinion: I really love Valentine’s Day.

Okay, yes – it is a manufactured, over-commercialized, greeting card holiday – but it’s also an opportunity to let the people who matter to you know that you’re thinking about them. I don’t know about you, but with the frenetic pace that we’re all living, I can always use a reminder to take a minute to pause, reflect, and reach out.

This year, in addition to my friends, family, and loved ones – there’s another group of people on my mind. Can you guess who?

Online donor retention continues to trend below 50%, and even repeat retention rates are slipping. That means there’s lots of room for us to improve the ways that we reach out to supporters – to find new and creative ways to inspire and appreciate them, so that they keep choo-choo-choosing to renew their support, year after year.

I’m not saying that you have to create a whole marketing effort around Valentine’s Day if that’s not something that resonates with your organization’s mission and voice. But I would definitely encourage you to take some time to think about the donors, the volunteers, and the people who give their time and attention to your organization.

Explore new ways to reach them where they are and let them know that you’re thinking about them. That you appreciate the myriad ways in which they help. Make sure they feel the love.

Lorealle Bishop is a marketing consultant here at Zuri Group. She understands the impact that messaging can have at every touchpoint of the user journey and helps organizations build a communication strategy that reflects their core values and supports their business goals.