Soliciting and Stewarding Sustaining Donors

Options
Heather Icenogle
Heather Icenogle ✭
Ancient Membership
in Food Bank

Hi everyone,

 

One of my goals for the next few quarters is really to step up our sustaining giving program, and I'd like to hear what other food banks are doing to solicit and/or steward sustaining donors? Are you mailing to them differently? How are you defining your prospects for direct solicitation to become sustaining donors, or are you even directly soliciting them? After they've become sustaining donors, how are you treating them differently than before and from other donors? Any thoughts you are willing to share would be very helpful!

Comments

  • Alicia Searfoss
    Alicia Searfoss ✭
    Ancient Membership Facilitator 2 Photogenic

    Hi Heather.  We want to do the same thing this as well.

     

    The tactics we've used most successfully so far are:

     

    •  Always include a monthly ask in the appeals - typically in the PS
    •  At least once a quarter, we'll create two appeals - one focused on the one-time and one the monthly.  The monthly will go out to people who have made at least two donations within the last 18 months.
    •  Set up an automatic email that goes out to those 3 weeks after they make their 2nd gift.  We tried sending it after the 1st gift, but it didn't work very well.
    •  Include a premium - fulfill immediately
    •  Post a promo on the website

    We suppress all sustaining donors - both online and offline - from appeals.  They get stewardship emails instead - eNewsletters, giveaways, videos, etc. 

     

    There's probably a better way - I realize this is a little basic, but this is working so far for us.  I'll be looking forward to hearing about what other people are doing.

Categories