Back to basics: Renewals

One of the simplest things that you can do to increase your online giving is a monthly renewal email. Many folks do a renewal letter series - letters sent out the month in which the donor gave last year. If you don't already do so, please begin. This is among the easiest appeals and you can expect to see response rates upwards of 10% or more with a very low cost basis.

Whether you have a letter or not, I would strongly suggest a multimedia campaign on renewals beginning with an email the month before they renew that contains a simple message providing an update from campus, the amount and fund they gave to last year along with the date of their gift. One of the regular questions I get on this is what if they made multiple gifts last year. If you have a very large population of donors with multiple gifts then I would create a segment to allow for that in the email, if you don't, call them. Add it to your own list of appeals and make 10 or 15 calls each month to those donors (they are making multiple gifts so most likely are at least friendly toward you) as a remind and follow up with a handwritten note.

The text of this appeal ideally provides "insider" information. Do you have a press release stream or some other information that is being released to the public that you might be able to use as the update? What you are looking for is something that makes the donors feel special in a "I knew about that first" kind of way.

You follow this email with a renewal letter the first week of the month in which that donor gave last year and then a phone program call two weeks later leading with a message reminding them and that you will be calling again. Limit the calling to 3 or 4 attempts - you are looking to make this convenient to them not chase them to the ground. They will give but you need to be respectful not desperate.

Implementing this set of steps will increase your LYBUNT renewals between 10 and 20%. The vast majority of that increase will come from the revolving donors who give for a year or two, then lapse for a year or two and from your newer LYBUNTS who have not yet made you a top priority.

Let me know if you have ideas of steps that are working for you or if you would like to see samples of any of these materials. Good luck!