Case Studies
Keeping New Donors for Years to Come
Cincinnati's oldest rescue mission needed to improve their new donor retention. New donor acquisition was getting more expensive and retention rates were falling off. In recent years a 45% retention rate with a $25 average gift was being received. The Mission had tried other retention programs where several weeks later a Thank You postcard was mailed along with a Thank You call. But these efforts did not have the desired affect.
They needed a bonding program that was very timely, flexible and cost effective. It would use parts of previous programs, a thank you post card and call, but also include a special first receipt and initial newsletter mailing which referenced the new donor’s initial gift motivation.
Working with a partner vendor, the client and the agency, we mailed post cards each week and followed immediately with a thank you call. There was a specially designed receipt mailed locally, including a welcome brochure and then six to eight weeks later their first newsletter was mailed with a welcome letter enclosed. Top this off with a decreased number of follow up appeals and the results speak for themselves.
City Gospel Mission reaped an 18% increase in retention in the first year and saw the average gift increase by almost $5.00. That equates to as much as a $40,000 increase in new donor long-term value. If you want to retain more new donors, try saying thank you and then showing that you mean it. Read more about the client-agency relationship with City Gospel Mission here