Welcome to part 6 of our blog series, "Level-Up Your Fundraising."
We have reached mid point of this 11 part blog series. So far, we have discussed Events, your Website, Direct Mail Audience, Memorial Gifts, Involving your Volunteers, and Giving Clubs- each post based on helping your nonprofit raise more money with less stress and hassle.
If you missed part 5 on getting your volunteers involved, you can view it here.
Part 6: Set Up a Major Donor Giving Club to Build Donor Loyalty
Giving societies and donor clubs are groups set up by a nonprofit to:
- help cultivate and steward donors
- keep them loyal to the organization
- encourage them to give more (and larger) gifts in the future
Generally, nonprofits set up various groups at different giving levels and offer corresponding benefits to group members.
For example, a health organization which focuses on care, support and research for a specific disease may set up three groups: The Advocates, The Supporters, and The Friends, and offer membership to donors who give at least $25,000, $10,000 and $2,000 respectively. In return, donors get benefits like access to special events, newsletters, t-shirts, etc., with donors at higher levels getting larger benefits.
Donor clubs and giving societies work to increase donor loyalty and lifetime donor value because they make your donors feel like part of your team.
Fundraising is about building relationships with our donors. Giving societies build stronger, deeper relationships with donors because they make your donors feel “special,” which they are.
The benefits you offer to your donor club members show them that you appreciate them and that their support matters. Furthermore, the regular communications you send out and events you hold with your society members strengthen that bond and create the sense that this is “our” organization, one that club members are proud to support and help “lead.”
Finally, giving clubs help systematize your donor funnel and provide order to the chaotic world of donor cultivation. Giving clubs with various levels and benefit plans force you to think through the donor experience and place it on a schedule, which helps reduce fundraising stress for staff and donors alike. Donor clubs and societies work particularly well with major donors and help build “exclusivity” into your fundraising programs.
Tracking this donor loyalty will bring your data to life. Having a CRM built for nonprofits comes into play- when you have a means to track the ongoing interests and actions of your donors, you can very quickly know who your most engaged constituents are. Check out our video on Engagement Scoring to see how StratusLIVE users can easily track their most engaged contacts.
