Turn one-time donors into repeat donors

If you run a nonprofit or other organization that is dependent upon donors, you know the importance of finding people who will continue to support your mission repeatedly. At Church Mutual, we understand that fundraising is your lifeline. We’ve compiled a few tips for making the most of your existing donors:

1. Try to direct first-time donors to your organization’s website after they make their donation. In its 2019 “The State of Modern Philanthropy” report, fundraising company Classy found that one-time donors who came to an organization through its donation page were 1.7 times more likely to give again than those who came to the organization as part of a peer-to-peer campaign. This may be because those who started on the donation page were supporting an organization, whereas those who started with a peer-to-peer campaign were supporting an So, make an effort to follow up with first-time donors, no matter how they came to your organization. Your goal is to win them as lifelong supporters.
2. Give donors a variety of options for donating, including through mobile and social media outlets. There are many different kinds of people in the world, and they have many different preferences when it comes to giving money. For those who prefer to write and mail checks, offer a contact name and mailing address. For those who are influenced by their newsfeed, create social media campaigns that make it easy to donate with the click of a mouse. And for those who are constantly on the go, learn how to make mobile donating apps work for you.
3. Continue to reach out to recurring donors. Some nonprofits make the mistake of assuming that their “work is done” with recurring donors (for example, those who give on the same day every month through an automatic transaction). However, Classy found that of all one-time donors who returned to start a recurring gift subscription, 25 percent went on to make yet another one-time gift in addition to the recurring gift. These are people who passionately believe in the mission of the organization they are supporting, and consistent outreach helps keep them the donors on whom you rely the most.
4. Don’t overlook the people who work as fundraisers for your organization. The best way to attract more new donors—and, by extension, more returning donors—is to encourage your ardent supporters to fundraise for you. More specifically, you should be encouraging these supporters to continue raising funds for your organization. Classy found that the median amount raised by peer-to-peer fundraising pages started by return fundraisers was more than double the amount raised by peer-to-peer fundraising pages for one-time fundraisers—$501 vs. $222, respectively.

As you increase your fundraising and online presence, you will need insurance to help protect both you and your donors. Learn more about the type of protection you need on Church Mutual’s website.