In December 2019, a donor gave a large gift to help underwrite sending kids to overnight camp. We thanked the donor and I looked forward to updating her about the impact of her gift. Of course, there was no summer overnight camp in Ontario 2020. Meanwhile, the donor has had a tax receipt but there were no programs that reflected her support.
For the last 16 months, I have been in regular touch with the donor, updating her and constantly letting her know that her gift is valuable and appreciated, even though it wasn't being used. Thankfully, camp re-opened this summer and I was able to call her. She was so happy to hear that her gift was finally helping kids.
Right now you likely have donors who made a gift for a program or activity that was cancelled, deferred, or greatly changed due to COVID. You may, or may not, have been able to stay in touch with them to keep them updated. As Canada starts to reopen and your programs and activities go back to being more in person, this is a great chance to catch up with donors.
Starting now
Your first step can be to run a list of all donors who gave before March 2020 who have not given since that time. This is a great group to re-engage. You have a golden chance to let them know what you did for the last 16 months as well as your reopening plans. This is a wonderful chance to rebuild relationships that may have paused in the last while. In addition, this is a moment to check in with all your supporters, particularly those who have supported you since March, 2020.
Starting how
It has always been the case that a multi-channel approach is a great way to connect. If you are really time-strapped, an email is a good first step. If you have a bit more bandwidth, why not try phoning your top 10 lapsed donors to give them an update? Not a phone person? Why not jot a quick note and send them a card in the mail with updates. The key thing is to make sure that your supporters have a chance to re-engage with you.
Starting here
As part of your re-opening, why not have a series of formal re-opening events? People are hungry to be in person. Hosting a series of outdoor events to reconnect your donors and supporters is a great way to update them on your good work and to involve them. There is still time to plan an event, or series of events for the late summer or autumn at your location. If your location doesn't lend itself to in person events, you may have a donor willing to let you use their back yard for this.
Restarting today
We are not out of the woods yet with COVID. However, we are at a time when people are interested in getting out and reconnecting. You can use this moment to re-engage your important supporters and build a stronger future for your organization.
Ann Rosenfield is a working fundraiser. Her next in-person donor event is in late August.
Cover photo by Braden Collum on Unsplash
