Global philanthropy skyrocketed in 2020, with nonprofits reporting record-setting contributions from individual donors compelled to support those hit hardest by the pandemic. Many organizations launched crisis fundraising campaigns as the need and demand for services surged beyond available resources. As a result, many organizations were relieved, and a bit surprised, to receive first-time gifts from new donors.

Professional fundraisers are taught that any donor prospect must demonstrate three attributes — an interest in your cause, a link to your organization, and the ability to provide a financial gift. These new donors took the guesswork out of this process for many of you by answering your rallying call. Our clients tell us that in some cases, their first-time donors of 2020 received little cultivation, gave without being specifically asked, or were completely unknown to the organization prior to their gifts. These are unique donors. They see your work as aligned with their personal values and see your organization as effective in delivering solutions during a crisis.

Like many other organizations, your team is likely figuring out return-to-office plans, running various financial scenarios in a still uncertain environment, and trying to support staff members who are tired, stressed, and burned out. Those are big responsibilities that need your focus, but don’t make the mistake of doing so at the expense of retaining your first-time donors from 2020.

Retaining these first-time donors can create a long-term benefit that increases your fundraising return on investment. According to Classy, recurring donors are 440% more valuable than one-time donors and have an average lifetime financial return of $795.62, compared to $147.23 from one-time donors. The opportunity to turn these unique new donors into recurring donors is here and the best way to retain these donors is to make their first giving experience with you a good one. We recommend these five strategies that can turn a one-time gift into a longtime relationship:

1. Make sure donor communications are timely, transparent, and two-sided. These donors have responded to your call for help. It is important that you provide timely communication so they can quickly see the direct impact of their giving and how their support is helping people and communities survive the crisis. Don’t let your communications stop with one point of contact. According to a Donor Loyalty Study conducted by Abila, “For the most part, donors like communication from the organizations they support on a monthly or quarterly basis (52%), although Millennials are more comfortable with (and more accustomed to) more frequent communication.” Lastly, don’t forget to allow your donor to communicate with you. Ask them for time together and learn about them personally, what inspired them to give, and answer questions they might have as they work to learn more about your mission.

 

Beginning last March, in a corporate response to the pandemic, the move to working from home became the go-to solution for continuing to operate. Yet, it has been a two-sided coin. On the plus slide, no longer do we need to jump out of bed, hit the shower, feed the kids and rush out the door to what could be a lengthy commute. In the midst of the pandemic, the running joke became we only had to look presentable from the waist up, often hiding pajama bottoms and slippers under our laptops. Kids, dogs, cats and other interruptions became accepted and, often times, were met with humor. Zoom meetings and conferences have become the norm, although many are still having a hard time finding the mute button.

Some managers have cited increased productivity without all the diversions of having multiple bodies in the office. Although email still constantly pings, many of us can now focus and concentrate without the usual interruptions of “Hey, you gotta minute?” Of course, the most significant benefit — and the driving purpose of staying home — is to reduce the spread of the coronavirus by eliminating physical interactions within less than 6 feet. Most employees today do not have private offices, and the shift many made to taking down walls and sharing open spaces may have to shift back.

The projects we primarily engage in with our clients — strategic planning, board development, leadership development — is best done in an interactive setting, where we can share information in large group settings, moving to smaller groups to tackle specific challenges. We have been able to adapt this work via Zoom, and my partners have become quite adept at screen sharing and whisking attendees into “Zoom rooms.” But we have missed the ability to get to know the participants, engage with them on a one-to-one level, and have a bit of fun. Last month, I had the opportunity to speak to a group in person. I was in heaven.

At the same time, we have noticed that even within our small firm, the lack of face-to-face interactions on a consistent basis has caused a few communication breakdowns. While we are focused on our own projects and our own clients, we have lost the team time to be able to think bigger than the project at hand, play with some “what ifs” or come up with new theories or methodologies. And then we thought, If it’s happening to us, how are other companies handling this? So, we started asking our clients about their company culture: What impact has working from home had on your culture? For the most part, the feedback has been less than positive.