They aimed for $5,000. They raised $25,000 instead.

YMCA Learns Donor Retention Lessons Big Time

Decatur Family YMCA Financial Development Director, Natalie Beck, works with colleague, Sara Hoban, the Y’s Director of Membership & Marketing, on fundraising strategies.

People who have already given to your nonprofit organization at least once are your very best prospects for continued donor engagement, for it costs far less to keep a donor than it does to secure new ones.

Makes sense, right?

Still, the average nonprofit in the U.S. loses an astonishing 70% of donors after the first gift.

It wasn’t until Natalie Beck heard that sobering statistic in one of do good’s fundraising classes that a light suddenly shone on her very next task back at the Decatur Family YMCA.

“It was a combination of hearing the lessons of ‘pro-active’ and ‘ask’,” the organization’s Financial Development Director said. “I suddenly realized how much money we were about to leave on the table if we didn’t act.”

Y donors from the prior year had been contacted and communicated with by staff throughout the current year, but no formal or proactive ask for donations had occurred. These donors had represented nearly $35,000 in giving in the year before but nothing close to this had come in from them in during the current year. As it inched toward year-end, Natalie now knew that had to change, and fast.

A story-driven and mail-merged letter was created based on tactics also learned in a do good Storytelling class and sent to 94 almost-lapsed donors in late November.

She was hoping for $5,000 given the time that had passed. These would be important funds for the organization’s SPLASH program for low-income children.

This proactively-sent, ask-focused letter sent to former Y donors was projected to raise $5,000. Instead it raised $25,000.

By mid-January though, donations had flown in, surpassing $25,000 – five times what Natalie had hoped for, and an incredible boost to the important swim programs for the community’s children in need. She also turned the expected donor 70% loss into only a remarkable low 30% one.

“This letter would not have been developed had I not participated in do good’s classes. In fact, the letter began as part of the hands-on exercise in class,” says Natalie.

As a result, Natalie and her colleagues are now better focused on their donors and are developing a formal plan to keep them aware of how donations are used and planning events that highlight programs and the impact of donors. They are also including a donor focus in their quarterly newsletter to share why donors support the YMCA and how giving enriches their own lives.

“We learned some important lessons from do good: to focus on maintaining our current donors and build better relationships with them. We know now to be more in touch, to be proactive, and to ask. ”

“We now have a solid plan in place for next year and years to come for donor retention. We are in a very good place.”

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