Sustainer Giving: An Intentional Pace
You did it! You have a growing group of monthly donors! Sustainers are your most faithful donors. They are in it for the long haul. Sustainers are advocates. They understand your work. They care deeply about the issues in your community. That’s why they give.
Take some time to get to know these donors. Set an intentional pace of connection. Build relationship with them.
Start with a strong first impression. Most donors who opt into a monthly cadence are already multi-gift donors. They are choosing to upgrade their annual commitment. This deserves some recognition:
Welcome—Have a welcome process in place. When the initial sustainer gift arrives, provide a warm thank you letter within 48 hours. Include other information the donor will need: how to make changes to their monthly commitment, who their primary staff contact is, etc.
Phone Call—Make an effort to personally thank every new sustainer. If you have the donor’s telephone number, use it. A short call or voice mail message goes a long way.
Gift—Consider creating a small gift for sustainers. It can be simple: bookmark, magnet, calendar, membership card/certificate. This can be included in the welcome process or saved for another touch point later in the year.
When cultivating this group throughout the year, keep the following in mind. These ideas and activities should be part of the communication plan I discussed in Sustainer Giving: Ready, Set, Go! and Sustainer Giving: Marathon Not a Sprint.
Survey—Get to know your sustainers. Send a donor engagement survey. Ask a few questions you really want to know the answer to. Find out what programs they are most excited about. Invite the idea of planned giving. And, most importantly, follow up once you receive their responses. Milwaukee Direct has developed a donor survey to do just that. We can help.
Insider Information—Craft a communication piece just for sustainers. It doesn’t need to be fancy. And it doesn’t need to be weekly. Maybe a quarterly email or letter that includes a client’s story and special thank you message. It could be a short monthly note from the President full of gratitude.
Unique copy—When you include this group in direct mail appeals and printed newsletters use variable copy. It’s an easy way to recognize the donor’s commitment.
Special giving opportunities—Provide your monthly donors an opportunity to make special gifts throughout the year. Invite them to your annual banquet, include them in the matching gift appeal, and give them an opportunity to make a Holiday or Year End gift “above and beyond” their current support.
Invite—Include sustainers in activities throughout the year. Think about ways to do this creatively: VIP pre-event receptions, early Holiday volunteer sign-up dates, planned giving info sessions, reduced ticket price to the annual gala, and open house “sneak peeks.” Sustainers are your most faithful supporters. Invite them to connect on a deeper level.
Your commitment to monthly giving should permeate every part of your fundraising strategy.
If you’d like some more ideas and information, please ask. I’d welcome the opportunity for conversation and exploration. MDM Fundraising has some good resources I can make available. And I’d love to hear about your sustainer success!
If you want to read more articles about sustainer giving, check out Sustainer Giving: Ready, Set, Go! and Sustainer Giving: It’s a Marathon Not a Sprint.
By Jennifer Bivens
Bivens is a Senior Strategist & Vice President with MDM Fundraising. She has been with MDM since 2018 and has a decade of direct marketing expertise in Rescue Mission fundraising. Having served as Development Director for two large Missions, she understands the daily demands of leading an effective team to reach revenue goals. Bivens holds a Masters of Public Administration with an emphasis on Nonprofit Management. She is passionate about raising funds to equip ministries throughout the U.S. as they fight the root causes of hunger and homelessness. Jen can be reached at jbivens@mdmfundraising.com.