Who is your typical donor? How old is your average donor? Where are your donors from? What is the average gift you receive per appeal? What was the most common gift amount of your last direct mail effort?
If you don't know the answers to these questions off the top of your head, or if you can't immediately open a file and find the answers, then you're in trouble.
The #1 rule of effective fundraising is to know your donor. Don't just know your donor's name. Don't just use her address to deliver her letters. Know about the region that most of your donors call home. Know your donor's last gift. Know if this was his first gift, second gift, or if he's a longtime supporter. Know how much a donor typically gives.
Knowing the total amount an appeal raised is important to the immediate needs of your organization. But knowing the most common gift amount, the average gift, and how often each donor gives is important to the longterm growth and sustainability of your organization.
Sooner or later, your donor will figure out that you have no clue who she is, and then she'll leave, taking her dollars with her.
So print a report of your giving. Sort by address and map the addresses by region. Sort again by amount and note the most common gift amount. Go through yet again and calculate your average gift. Make a note of how many total gifts you received. What is the percentage return on the appeal? If you raised $10,000, that's great. But if you raised $10,000 through the generous gift of one donor, that's not so great. At least, not for the long haul.
I can already hear the exasperated sighs. I don't have time, you exclaim. Of course you don't. You have a life-changing organization to run. I have a life-changing organization to help. I can work with you to make sense of the data and develop a strategy to produce healthy, longterm growth. So call today at 919-741-5072, or contact us and find out how Turnbull Marketing Group can help you help others.
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