There is much talk about donor fatigue and with good reason. The orthodox answer is not to ask again with the thank-you so that your donors don't feel overwhelmed. There are dissenting views, however.
We all agree that we should not just treat donors like ATM machines. I would suggest that the root of the problem with donor retention is not asking donors too often. Instead, the issue is that we don't let donors know the impact of their caring decision to give. If a donor makes a gift and the only thing they hear from the charity is a request without an update on what happened with the last gift, the donor is going to feel badly treated. However, in a crisis situation, it may be appropriate to say something like "Thank you for your generous support. That has already made a difference (give concrete story of a person affected)... I would not ask again so soon if it were not such an emergency.... You are one of the few people who really understand...."
I did a variation on this and the thank-you package raised more money than the original letter!
Does this hurt donor retention in the long run? Donor renewal rates are higher for people who gave the most recently and frequently.
Remember, you are not begging, you are offering an opportunity for the donor to feel good, to make an investment, to achieve their highest goals. So delay is not necessary or an advantage. Penelope Burke has done excellent research on the area of thank you letters. A good thank you letter includes a short update on the use of the gift.
Note that when you order a product online, the delivery package always includes a catalogue, or BOGO, or some other incentive to shop again right away. Marketers call this "the bounce-back".
Even if you separate the thank-you from the next ask, waiting 4 months [as Tom Livers suggests] is way too long IMHO. Re-engage them before the residual glow is forgotten.
In the meantime, many other charities will be writing, phoning, and literally knocking on the door, not to mention social media, ads, events, and more. Not to mention the other feel-good competition for donor dollars, such as chocolate, bacon, shoes, massages, and other consumer goods and services that trigger endorphins.
"Fundraising is about relationship building." Isn't that what we all say? If you went on a date with someone and it went well, would you wait 4 months before asking them out again?
Ken Wyman has more than 35 years’ experience helping grassroots groups grow, and raising millions of dollars. He has written or contributed to eight books on fundraising, most recently Excellence in Fundraising in Canada, and is a frequent media commentator. He won the first ever award as Fund Raising Executive of the Year from the AFP Toronto Chapter. Outside Humber, Ken consults for non-profit groups and teaches workshops, and has spoken at conferences across Canada, from the Arctic Circle, in the USA, Cuba England, Sweden, Austria and Holland. He is Professor Emeritus of Humber College and was part of Humber's Fundraising program since an early part-term version in the mid-eighties, and served on the founding program advisory committee that developed the full-time graduate certificate. He was Program Coordinator for 12 years, and has taught many different courses, including. in the 2014-15 academic year, Ethical and Legal Issues; Trends, Research and Advocacy; Annual and Capital Campaigns; and Direct Marketing and Merchandising. He has also taught Communications for Humber's International Development graduate program, Agency Administration and Fundraising for the Social Service Workers program, and both Public Speaking and Research for the Advertising and Marketing Communications Diploma. In 2012-13 his research sabbatical focused on charities, advocacy and social justice. Before joining Humber, Ken was a consultant for the sector, worked for Oxfam-Canada, and served as a journalist.
