In the nonprofit world, expressing gratitude for your donors’ gifts is not only polite, but essential to your long-term success. Donor recognition is a critical piece of the donor retention puzzle that helps secure lasting support for your organization’s mission.

After marketing your campaigns and events like a pro and driving results in your fundraisers, there’s still important follow-up work to do to keep your nonprofit’s momentum going. Donor recognition solidifies your donors’ support and leaves them much more eager to get involved in your future work.

In this guide, we’ll share some best practices and ideas for donor recognition by answering some basic questions you might have:

• What Is Donor Recognition?
• Why Is Donor Recognition Important?
• What Are Some Best Practices for Donor Recognition?
• What Are Popular Donor Recognition Ideas?

Having a concrete strategy in place for how you thank your donors, along with an arsenal of effective recognition ideas, will go a long way to strengthen support for your mission over time. Let’s get started!

What Is Donor Recognition?

Donor recognition refers to the practice of thanking your nonprofit’s donors for contributing in support of your mission. Depending on your goals, donor contact preferences, and resources, this can take many forms, from thank-you notes to appreciation events. Regardless of how you approach it, though, an effective donor recognition strategy will ensure that you cultivate strong and reliable donor relationships in the long run.

Your nonprofit’s supporters engage with your organization because they want to contribute to the change you’re powering in the community. The more you emphasize the role they play in this change, the more invested they’ll be in contributing financially and spreading awareness of your work.

Why Is Donor Recognition Important?

Donor recognition is a key component of your nonprofit’s larger donor relations strategy. Building relationships with donors helps to create the strong support network necessary for your organization to achieve your fundraising goals and further your mission.

Here are some of the specific benefits of donor recognition:

• Showing appreciation. Probably the most obvious purpose of donor recognition is to let donors know you’re grateful for their support, no matter how much they’re able to give. This helps donors feel like your organization values them and that they’re making a difference with their contributions.
• Boosting donor retention rates. Donors who feel appreciated are more likely to give to your nonprofit again, allowing you to bring in more reliable funding year after year. Although your organization will sometimes need to reach out to new donors to grow, focusing more heavily on donor retention is more cost effective and less time consuming for your team.
• Inspiring others to give. Recognizing your donors publicly can motivate potential supporters who are on the fence about giving to your nonprofit to take the first step. And don’t underestimate the value of word of mouth—if donors share their positive donation experiences with their friends and family, you may gain new supporters!
• Increasing transparency. Donor thank-you messages provide the perfect opportunity to share concrete examples of how your organization plans to use the contributions you bring in to further your mission. This accountability builds trust with donors and improves your nonprofit’s reputation as an organization that follows through on its promise to make a positive impact.

To make the most of these benefits, make sure to recognize all contributions to your nonprofit—large or small, one-time or recurring. Over time, you’ll be able to create a dedicated community of supporters that not only give regularly but also engage with your organization in other ways, such as volunteering, attending events, or advocating for your cause.

What Are Some Best Practices for Donor Recognition?

Make the most of your organization’s time and resources by employing a thoughtful donor recognition strategy tailored to your donors’ interests. Your donor management system (or CRM) should have valuable information on your supporters, such as communication preferences, giving history, demographics, and other involvement details to inform your approach.

1. Make it prompt.

Prompt recognition of your donors’ contributions is vital to making sure they feel noticed and appreciated for their support. After a donation, supporters should immediately receive a confirmation or receipt via email with details such as the:

• Donation amount. Include the donation amount and payment method to assure the donor that their gift has been accurately processed.
• Donation context. Be sure to include the specific context of the donation, such as the name of the fundraiser or event the donor attended. For instance, if they attended a virtual auction and won an item, specifically mention the event and the item that they bid on to let them know you’re paying attention to each and every donation you receive.

55% of U.S. donors prefer to be thanked for their gifts via email, so be sure to have automated thank-you emails set up to keep donor recognition from falling through the cracks. However, don’t forget about direct mail—a physical follow-up letter can add a thoughtful touch and show donors that you value their support. For more tips on using direct mail to communicate with your donors, Pursuant’s direct mail fundraising for nonprofits guide is a great resource.

2. Make it personal.

Take your donor recognition efforts to the next level by tailoring your communications to each individual supporter. Adjust each thank-you message by:

• Addressing the donor by name. The more your donor feels like your communications are to them specifically from you specifically, the stronger a bond you’ll forge between them and your organization.
• Including an individual signature. Instead of a generic signature from your nonprofit, sign the letter from a real person at your organization whose job is relevant to the donation, whether it’s your development chair, major gifts officer, board president, or other trusted staff member.
• Adding a video with your thank-you. This is another effective way to humanize your message to donors. This could be a recorded thank-you from a member of your team, a constituent of your mission, or both.

Additionally, consider segmenting your donor base by age, gender, or location to further customize your letters and make your letters even more effective.

3. Make it powerful.

No matter what form your donor recognition takes, it’s essential to communicate the impact of your donors’ gifts. Always try to be as specific as possible about the positive change that their donation has powered. This will give the donor something concrete to feel good about and reinforces their connection to your cause.

For example, perhaps a donor’s $50 donation provided school supplies for three students for a semester of school. One way to make this statement more powerful could be naming the students (with their permission), having them sign the recognition message, or sending pictures of them along with your letter of gratitude.

As well-intentioned as another request for support may be, asking for another donation in the middle of your thank-you letter may come across as ungrateful and disingenuous. Instead, offer the donor additional ways to engage with your nonprofit, such as signing up for your email newsletter or volunteering

4. Make it public.

Donors will appreciate your recognition, but they’ll feel especially important when you promote their efforts for everyone to see. Publicly celebrating your donors bridges the gap between your gratitude and the overall impact donors had on your organization.

To do this, you might include information about your generous donors in annual reports or on your nonprofit’s website. For example, incorporate specific numbers on a page about your program. Detail the number of donors and donations, the timeline of the fundraiser’s progress, and how the money collected was spent within the program.

To further promote donor recognition, focus your resources on boosting visibility. Google’s Ad Grant program, for example, can draw more attention to your website’s landing pages. If you’re approved for the grant, you’ll receive $10,000 in ad credits, which you can use to help your webpages rank higher on the search engine results page (SERP). This leads more people to click through to your website, where they’ll learn more about your donors’ significant contributions!

What Are Popular Donor Recognition Ideas?

Once you have the essentials down, it’s time to get creative. There are all sorts of ways to recognize your donors beyond traditional thank-you letters. First, evaluate your nonprofit’s resources and capabilities.

Large organizations conducting major undertakings like capital campaigns might have the ability to construct permanent donor recognition installations on a grand scale, while smaller-scale nonprofits might opt for creating a virtual donor wall or sending thoughtful gifts.

The scale of the gift should also be considered when acknowledging donors. Establishing giving levels will ensure that smaller tiers of donations made to a crowdfunding campaign and large endowments for a building expansion are proportionately recognized. We’ll cover both ends of the spectrum with the following popular donor recognition ideas.

1. Donor recognition walls

A donor recognition wall is a meaningful way for you to permanently convey your appreciation for your donors. Because they can accommodate many names, donor walls are usually associated with large capital campaigns. There is plenty of room for customization, so get inspired with Eleven Fifty Seven’s donor wall ideas.

For example, the Berry Family Foundation features prominent donors’ names on a wall titled “Thank You For Building Independence” beside the facility’s welcome desk.

At the same time, nonprofits with limited budgets can benefit from the ease and added flexibility of virtual donor walls. With this appealing option, you can acknowledge donors as traditional recognition walls allow, while also having the ability to make updates at any time and drive online traffic to your nonprofit’s site.

2. Donor recognition plaques

If a large-scale donor wall isn’t quite feasible but you still want to recognize your major donors in a meaningful way, custom plaques are another excellent choice. Donor plaques are often featured outside the doors of a new building expansion or on landscape features like benches, but get creative to find the perfect fit for your unique donors and community.

3. Branded merchandise

For smaller-tier donations your nonprofit receives, gifts of branded merchandise are a more reasonable option than plaques. Consider sending out pens, T-shirts, mugs, and other customized items featuring your organization’s name and logo as a token of your appreciation. This method has the added benefit of doing a little marketing work for you!

4. Events

Shine the spotlight on your donors by inviting them to an exclusive supporters-only occasion or finding ways to recognize them at public events. Making them a part of your community and your cause helps to ensure they’ll keep supporting your mission well into the future. Casual virtual gatherings and happy hours are particularly cost-effective yet impactful ways to show your appreciation.

Out of these options, select which best fits your organization and the giving scale. Remember to always be prompt, personal, and powerful in all of your communications with your generous supporters.

Nurturing your relationships with current donors through effective and genuine recognition is a smart long-term strategy for securing enduring support for your nonprofit. And, you can show your gratitude for them every day, with your own donor recognition methods. Even when you aren’t throwing an appreciation event, actively steward your supporters and send out regular surveys seeking their feedback.

By keeping tabs on which aspects of your work and mission resonate best with donors, you’ll be able to optimize their experience with your organization. Best of luck!

Additional Resources

• An Overview of Donor Relations – Nonprofit Catalog – Dive deeper into strengthening your donor relationships with this guide.
• How to Write The Perfect Donor Thank You Letters – Master your donor communications by learning to craft effective thank you letters to supporters.
• 16 Top Donor Management Software Solutions (+ Buyer’s Guide) – Make the most out of every donor interaction with comprehensive donor management software for your organization.

As an animal shelter owner, advocate, or volunteer, it’s no secret that you’re passionate about ensuring the animals in your care are safe, healthy, and suitable for adoption. But to make a significant impact on the lives of your furry friends, you need access to ample resources. Organizing a fundraiser and making donation requests can help you raise awareness for your cause, drive meaningful support, and protect more pets.

In this guide, we’ll explore four fundraising ideas so that animal shelters like yours can continue making a difference well into the future.

1. Leverage crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding relies on a wide variety of donors making small to midsize gifts online. Unlike traditional fundraising, which requires you to physically sift through potential donors before starting the outreach process, crowdfunding connects you to thousands of potential donors with no physical meetings required. All you have to do is present your cause in a compelling way that inspires people to give and share the fundraiser with their peers.

For the most effective crowdfunding strategy, follow these steps:

1. Choose the right crowdfunding platform. There are countless crowdfunding platforms that you can use to host your fundraiser, the most popular being GoFundMe. Conduct research into platform fees and restrictions so that you know you’re making the right decision for your organization.
2. Create a crowdfunding page. Create a donation page through your chosen platform with information about your cause and the purpose of your fundraiser. Include photos of the animals and testimonials to tug at people’s heartstrings and get them invested in your cause.
3. Get specific about your need. Narrow the focus of your fundraiser, explaining how much money you need and what it will go towards. People are more likely to contribute when they know their gift will go toward something meaningful and specific. For example, rather than crowdfunding for your shelter as a whole, you might raise money for an animal’s vet bills or for renovating your kennels.
4. Spread the word. Include a link to your crowdfunding page in your marketing assets and encourage supporters to share the page with their personal networks, using a strong call-to-action like “Your one-time gift of $20 can help dogs like Daisy live a happy and healthy life.”

This process is an effective, low-pressure way for people to contribute to your shelter on their own terms. When done correctly, the combination of gifts will add up quickly and help you reach your fundraising goals.

2. Launch a social media campaign.

Social media is an easy and effective way to connect with donors, adoptees, and volunteers. It allows potential supporters to learn more about your organization, engage with success stories, and donate — all within a few seconds.

To create a strong social media presence, it’s important to cater your content to each platform, including:

• Twitter: Because of its strict character limit, Twitter is ideal for sharing quick updates about your shelter, fundraising campaigns, and the adoption process. You can also start a hashtag campaign using a catchy tagline like #AdoptDon’tShop. This will help extend your reach and drive traffic to your account.
• Instagram: With features like reels and stories, Instagram is all about visual media. Allow the animals in your care to take center stage through photos and videos. A simple before-and-after picture of a freshly groomed dog can garner meaningful support.
• Facebook: With almost three billion users of all ages, Facebook represents an opportunity to gain widespread attention. Share long-form success stories alongside photos of adoptable pets and a link to your fundraising page.
• TikTok: If you want to target the younger generation, look no further than TikTok. In addition to posting potentially viral video content, you can use a feature called “Donation Stickers” to encourage users to make donations directly in the app.

Consider using Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to live stream a day in the life of a shelter volunteer or staff member. This gives supporters a behind-the-scenes look at how your organization operates and how adoptable pets behave. Set up a donation form for the live stream or use mobile fundraising to ask supporters to give while they watch.

3. Host a fundraising event.

Fundraising events allow you to cultivate support for your shelter in an engaging and memorable format. Once you’ve determined that hosting an event is the best approach to raising money for your organization, narrow down the focus and type of your intended event.

Here are some popular animal shelter fundraising events to get you started:

• Sponsor-a-pet fundraiser: For a small, monthly donation, people can sponsor an animal that has been in the shelter longer than others or has medical issues that require additional funding. Send your pet sponsors regular updates on how the animal is doing, and what their personality is like, and encourage in-person visits. That way, they can connect emotionally with the animal and feel more inclined to adopt or increase their level of giving.
• Virtual gala: Virtual galas are inexpensive and allow you to reach larger audiences who may not be in your immediate area. Share the link to a live stream and include a meet and greet of adoptable pets, live entertainment, or a virtual silent auction for those tuning in.
• Pet-friendly social gathering: Host an event at a local park and encourage pet owners to socialize with their animals. Charge for drinks and food to raise funds for your cause or set up an information booth where supporters can learn about your cause and meet a few animals up for adoption.

Gingr’s guide to payment processing suggests that, at each event, you include a virtual payment option, whether that be donation kiosks, text-to-give, or mobile donation forms. This encourages attendees to give beyond their ticket or registration price.

Even if an attendee chooses not to contribute, you should follow up with a thank-you letter, email, or phone call expressing your appreciation for their participation and commitment to your cause. Such outreach can help cultivate a meaningful relationship that lasts long after the event ends.

4. Participate in donation matching.

With donation matching, you can potentially double the donations that your shelter receives. Here’s how it works: An employee who works for a company with a matching gift program donates to your shelter. The employer then matches that gift, generally at a 1-to-1 ratio.

According to matching gift statistics from 360MatchPro, an estimated $3 billion is donated through matching gift programs annually. This number could be even higher if your animal shelter decides to actively pursue this fundraising channel. Tap into the power of matching gifts by sending prospective supporters a matching gift letter that includes information about how to research if their employer has a matching gift program.

Keep in mind that these fundraising ideas are a jumping-off point for your animal shelter. Adapt them as needed to fit your needs at a given time. From launching a crowdfunding campaign to maintaining a strong social media presence, an effective fundraising strategy will help your organization gain the funding necessary to provide exceptional care to animals in need.

As the fundraising field diversifies and evolves, new strategies and campaigns have taken center stage. Do-it-yourself style peer-to-peer fundraising is the perfect example.

DIY fundraising, whether it takes the form of a one-time campaign or evergreen fundraising opportunities that are always available for supporters, has become a prominent strategy to get supporters to participate in fundraising for your cause.

But benefits extend beyond just short-term fundraising goals. Encouraging supporters to take an active role in your fundraising efforts can actually increase your donor retention rates. With DIY fundraising, supporters get personally connected to the mission and stay motivated to fundraise because they know what they do makes a difference.

And the best part? Because they are social fundraising campaigns, DIY fundraisers help you reach new donor segments. According to The Giving Experience study by OneCause, 54% of first-time donors to these campaigns contribute because they want to support the person who asked them.

But how can you strengthen your DIY fundraising strategy and provide supporters with the best possible experience? Here are our top four strategies for effective DIY fundraising:

• Encourage passionate fundraisers.
• Tap into supporters’ broader communities.
• Use gamification strategies.
• Offer plenty of support.

While DIY fundraising can take many different forms, following these best practices ensures that your participants stay motivated and engaged from start to finish. Let’s take a closer look at how DIY fundraising can amplify your fundraising strategy.

What is DIY Fundraising?

DIY fundraising, or do-it-yourself fundraising (also known as supporter-driven fundraisers), empowers supporters to fundraise for your nonprofit in their own way. You’ve likely already encountered some forms of DIY fundraising, including:

• Birthday fundraisers
• Memorial or tribute fundraisers
• Personal fitness challenges
• School-wide fundraisers
• Individually organized runs, walks, or rides
• Supporter-hosted events (celebrity bartending events, concerts, food & wine parties)
• Ambassador campaigns for galas

To get the most from DIY peer-to-peer fundraising, nonprofits need to provide supporters with centralized fundraising resources and tools. From toolkits to peer-to-peer software to personal fundraising pages, you need to have the right resources to set up your supporters (and your nonprofit) for success!

Although your nonprofit won’t be fundraising directly in this type of campaign, strategic vision and guidance from your team are actually quite important for overall success. There are a ton of ways that you can support your fundraisers and help them get the most from their social networks.

Strategy 1: Encourage passionate fundraisers.

Have you ever connected with a supporter and thought they’d be a great ambassador for your cause? These passionate, committed, and impact-driven supporters are likely already in your contact list. All you need to do is sit down and think about who they are. Talk to your team and your volunteer managers, or look back at your donor data to help you identify the perfect people to lead your DIY peer-to-peer fundraising initiative.

Passionate supporters might surprise you and start fundraising on their own if they have the option. You won’t always have control (and you don’t necessarily need to) over who decides to launch a birthday fundraiser for your organization, for example.

But that’s okay! The beauty of DIY fundraisers is you can recruit your participants and set up evergreen DIY fundraising programs that allow engaged supporters to come to you on their own. When identifying potential DIY participants, look for the following traits:

• Passion: Your fundraisers should be excited to be involved. Perhaps they have a personal connection to your cause or are deeply motivated by your mission. Excitement is contagious, so find supporters who will help spread enthusiasm about your nonprofit and the work you’re doing.
• Knowledge: Be sure that any fundraiser, whether you specifically recruited them or not, has access to relevant information about your cause. Share an online library of brand assets and mission resources so it’s easily accessible to all your DIY fundraisers.
• Past Support: Consider a fundraiser’s previous level of engagement with your nonprofit. Invite supporters who have a history of giving, event attendance, and/or volunteering. Past engagement is often a good indicator of DIY success.

No matter what, do everything you can to encourage your DIY fundraisers’ passion. Taking the time to identify the right people for your supporter-driven strategies ensures you have the best of the best on your DIY team and maximizes the chances of retaining them over the long run.

Strategy 2: Tap into supporters’ broader communities.

As you encourage your DIY fundraisers to spread the word, they’ll promote their giving page to friends and family. But consider other pre-existing groups they may be involved with—churches, schools, workplaces—where their connections can generate even more support for your mission.

Workplace giving is a perfect example, and it’s one of the greatest untapped resources for nonprofit organizations. According to 360MatchPro, an estimated $4-7 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed every year.

In addition to matching gifts, there is a variety of other workplace giving methods your donors may have access to, including:

• Volunteer grants. Like matching gifts, volunteer grants are donations that companies make to nonprofits. Instead of matching employee donations, however, they make contributions based on the number of hours their employees volunteer. If your organization has a strong volunteer base, encourage them to check their eligibility and request volunteer grants from their employers.
• Annual giving campaigns. Some businesses host yearly fundraising campaigns in which they raise money for a certain cause that their employees care about to encourage participation. If many of your supporters work for the same company, they can introduce your fundraising team to company representatives responsible for workplace giving to kick off a working relationship.
• Charitable giving stipends. While less common than matching gifts, charitable giving stipends allow employees to give a predetermined amount of money to the cause of their choice. Your donors may have the opportunity to contribute funds to your organization on behalf of their employers instead of using their own money.
• In-kind donation drives. Monetary contributions are important for ensuring your nonprofit operates smoothly, but you can also benefit from the donation of goods or services. For example, a company may host an in-kind donation drive to support an animal shelter in which their team brings in pet food, toys, and leashes to donate.

DIY fundraising is an ideal way to better incorporate workplace giving into your fundraising strategy. It helps you tap into supporters’ broader circles of contacts, reach brand new supporters, and forge valuable relationships. You can even reach out directly to a business to see if they’ll launch a campaign of their own.

By bringing DIY fundraising to the workplace, you can:

• Connect with local businesses: Any nonprofit knows that partnerships with for-profit businesses are important. By encouraging local businesses to take action through fundraising, you can begin cultivating these relationships. Plus, if a local business has already run a fundraiser for your nonprofit, they’re more likely to continue sponsoring your work, like by donating items or services to your upcoming auction.
• Get your fundraisers involved: If you’ve connected with a passionate supporter, ask them if they’d be interested in hosting a fundraising event at their workplace. There are all kinds of workplace-friendly fundraising ideas out there to help them get started, and it’s a great way to broaden your network.
• Increase visibility: Whether you’re working directly with a business or with an individual fundraiser, bringing fundraising to the workplace allows you to connect with all of the employees working there. This way, you can expand your donor base by meeting potential supporters you might not have encountered otherwise.

By empowering passionate employees to get involved and bring fundraising into their workplaces, you can enhance your DIY fundraising efforts.

Strategy 3: Use gamification strategies.

One challenge of DIY fundraising is keeping everyone motivated from start to finish. The best way to keep supporters engaged is to make it fun! We recommend gamification tactics to bring both competition and enjoyment to your DIY fundraisers.

Incorporating gamification strategies takes even the most creative fundraising ideas to the next level. To add gamification to your DIY fundraiser, try:

• Fundraising leaderboards: Motivate your fundraisers by showing off top performers. A little healthy competition can go a long way to keep supporters engaged throughout the fundraiser and can help everyone raise more funds.
• Implement rewards: Offer rewards to incentivize your supporters to hit or even smash fundraising goals. These rewards could include anything from branded merchandise to a facility tour to a prize provided by a local business.
• Create milestone achievements: Set milestones or goals for your peer-to-peer fundraisers to work toward. Giving people concrete goals to achieve is a great motivator and can help make their impact feel more tangible.
• Involve teams: To get more people involved and to keep your fundraisers motivated, encourage them to get their friends and family members involved by forming teams. This way, team members can lean on each other for support and work to motivate each other.

If you find that gamification works very well with your donor base, consider investing in dedicated P2P fundraising software to streamline the process and seamlessly integrate gamification into your participant experience.

Strategy 4: Offer plenty of support.

Your fundraisers will feel motivated to continue fundraising if they feel like your nonprofit is there to support them along the way. Be sure to offer your DIY fundraisers a helping hand with:

• Detailed fundraising guides: If your supporters want to run a virtual program or engage in a more complicated activity, create a step-by-step guide and other training resources. These helpful tools set them on a path to success and provide a roadmap for how to execute a successful DIY fundraiser.
• Shoutouts on social media: Your DIY supporters deserve public recognition! Share their extraordinary efforts on your social media pages and thank them for their participation. This is also a great way to bring even more visibility to your support-driven fundraising efforts.
• Share impact: For today’s donors, it’s essential that nonprofits share the impact of their work. Doing so boosts your fundraising efforts by showing donors that their DIY support really does make a difference. Your fundraisers want to know how they’ve impacted your cause, so tell them!

Supporting your fundraisers with guides, social posts, and impact-sharing creates a culture of gratitude and teamwork for your DIY program. It also allows you to support these efforts at scale, giving your participants a helping hand but not overburdening your team. No matter what kind of DIY program you launch, just remember to build in support structures and reach out to your supporters along the way!

Your DIY fundraisers have dedicated time, passion, and energy to raising money for your cause. Some of them have had your help and some of them haven’t, but regardless, make sure to say thank you. Expressing gratitude demonstrates that you are thankful for all their hard work.

Be sure to continue supporting your donors and giving them the tools they need to be successful. You’ll have all kinds of effective DIY fundraisers up and running in no time.

Kelly Velasquez-Hague brings over 20 years of fundraising, nonprofit management, and sales/marketing experience to her role as the Director of Content Marketing for OneCause. As a member of the OneCause sales and marketing team, Kelly manages all of the company’s content strategy and execution. She is passionate about empowering great missions and loves that her current role allows her to continue to help nonprofits reach new donors and raise more funds for their cause.

While acquiring new supporters is important, there are many often overlooked benefits to forging long-term relationships with your existing donors.

Retaining supporters requires a mix of appreciation strategies, strong communication practices, and a continued dedication to fulfilling your mission. While this can take quite a bit of effort, in exchange, your nonprofit will begin forming relationships that can potentially span decades and can enjoy all of the benefits those long-term connections bring.

Let’s explore four benefits your nonprofits will experience.

1. Reliable support.

According to CharityEngine’s donation guide, “the health of a nonprofit can often be measured by sustainers.” This is because, with long-term donors, your nonprofit can look forward to reliable support on a routine basis. With recurring donations, your nonprofit can allocate your spending for future growth and have a cushion to fall back on if another fundraiser falls short.

The following giving traits may help your nonprofit identify potential recurring donors:

• Semi-Regular Donors. Those who give regularly but infrequently are ripe for a campaign encouraging them to become monthly donors, even if the donation amount decreases. You’d rather have $10 a month ($120 a year) than $25 given quarterly.

• Significant and Moderate Donors. These donors are often your major gift donors, without whom you might struggle to hit fundraising goals. When major gift donors engage in recurring gifts, it significantly strengthens your nonprofit.

Supporters can provide reliable help in other ways, such as campaign involvement and event attendance. Your long-term, dedicated supporters are often regular event attendees, and their presence at your events can help build a sense of community and make event management easier for your planning team. After all, events are at their most fun and successful when there are enough guests to participate in your activities, socialize with each other, and donate if it’s a fundraiser.

2. Increased value.

Few donors give major gifts to unfamiliar nonprofits. Long-term relationships can build the backbone of many nonprofits’ fundraising revenues by fostering recurring gifts.

Mid-level donors also tend to give more the longer their relationship with a nonprofit lasts. The longer a donor has been with your organization, the deeper their investment in your cause becomes and the more receptive they are to requests for increased support.

Here are a few ways you can earn more from your moderate donors:

• Increased gift amounts. Mid-level donors often increase their support throughout their relationship with a nonprofit. For example, a donor who gives $10 a month will likely be receptive to a request asking for $15 a month after they’ve been with your nonprofit for a significant amount of time.

• Participation in multiple fundraisers. Supporters familiar with your nonprofit and your usual fundraising methods may become interested in supporting you in other ways, like volunteering.

• Planned giving opportunities. Planned giving can help nonprofits gain significant funding, and long-term relationships are vital to its success. NPOInfo’s charitable giving statistics found that nonprofits often need decades-long relationships with donors to enroll in a planned giving program.

To track your supporters’ contributions over the years, note their donations and participation in their donor profiles in your CRM. This way, you’ll know exactly where each donor is in their donor journey and be able to ask for a donation increase at the right moment.

3. More networking opportunities.

Donors will feel more comfortable with your nonprofit after seeing an active community, which communicates the organization’s health and success. Your long-term supporters can also take active steps to grow your nonprofit network, such as:

• Word-of-mouth marketing. Long-term supporters are more likely to participate in word-of-mouth marketing, improving your nonprofit’s reputation while attracting new interest from their friends and family.

• Peer-to-peer campaigns. Peer-to-peer campaigns leverage your supporters’ relationships as they fundraise on behalf of your nonprofit. Then, rather than giving to an unfamiliar organization, new donors will give to a trusted friend or family member. Plus, if you invest in the right nonprofit fundraising software, you’ll have access to peer-to-peer fundraising and advocacy features that make it easy for supporters to spread the word.

• Prospective donors introductions. Major donors with whom you have a long-term connection can make introductions between you and their personal friends. Plus, if you’ve discovered a potential major donor through wealth screening, you can see if you have any donors with pre-existing relationships who would be willing to set up an introduction for you.

Remember that donors are most likely to help your nonprofit network when they have a strong relationship with your organization. Create a positive donor experience for all of your supporters to ensure that when they discuss your nonprofit with friends and family, they’ll have many positives to share.

4. Greater return on investment.

Encouraging your current donors to continue giving is ultimately more cost-effective than bringing in new donors. While you should continue your donor outreach efforts, don’t forget to steward your current donors.

Here are a few basic strategies for identifying and stewarding long-term supporters:

• Identify recurring giving candidates. Once you have basic information about a supporter, such as their contact and giving information, you can determine how likely they are to become a long-term supporter. If you aren’t completely sure about your donor’s eligibility for perks like corporate sponsorships or matching gifts, data appending services can help you fill in the gaps.

• Show appreciation. Thanking a donor immediately demonstrates your attention and appreciation. Donors who feel noticed are more likely to strengthen their support of your nonprofit and feel more engaged, which benefits your nonprofit in many ways.

• Collect supporter feedback. Understanding which stewardship strategies are working and which need to be tweaked can directly impact your fundraising. Plus, the sheer act of asking can help many supporters feel acknowledged and appreciated.

Compared to the marketing required to attract a new donor, these steps require few resources besides your time and a robust fundraising platform. While you should still work to attract new donors, these additional steps can help retain your current base and ensure you receive a return on your marketing investment.

Your supporters ensure your nonprofit can continue fulfilling its mission, and your long-term supporters have made the greatest investment in your cause. By maintaining these important connections, your nonprofit can look forward to reliable support, increased revenue, and opportunities to grow your organization. Use your donor management tools to look for ways to build and maintain these relationships with your long-term supporters.

Author: Leigh Kessler

Leigh Kessler is VP of Marketing and Communications at donor management software platform CharityEngine and a frequent speaker on branding, fundraising, data and technology.  He is a former nationally touring headline comedian and has appeared on numerous TV shows including VH1’s “Best Week Ever”, CNN’s “Showbiz Tonight”, Discovery Channel & Sirius Radio.​ He has overseen and informed research and branding strategies for some of the most well known brands in America.