Nonprofit News

Roadmap to Retention

You have decided to focus on the 10% of constituents in your database that are actively investing in your organization. For that 10% you will be developing a contextual communication plan with specific activities by segment with the intent of retention where you will,

  • Connect and inform regarding how donations are used
  • Involve in some form of ongoing support
  • Thank through acknowledgement

One essential key to developing a successful contextual communication plan is to schedule time with your database. Consider the variety of segments you are tracking in your database and know that your constituents will belong to multiple segments. Your approach needs to be realistic in relationship to your budget and your available volunteer support system. It’s OK to start small. Initially you may decide that your plan will focus on a specific category of donors, a donation threshold, within a specific region. The main point is to simply start.

Retention: NOUN, the capacity to remember

Synonyms: Custody, grasp, tenacity

Consider your current forms of communication and develop ways to increase personalization. Seek out new forms of activities, such as a Thank-a-thon or eNews, where the only purpose for the communication is to thank them and inform the donor on your progress toward your goal.

Develop a written plan by segment where you note the activities, how you will ask for support and how that support will be acknowledged.

Activity Log

Next, schedule your plan by month, segment, activity and responsible party.

Monthly Plan

Be sure to gauge your return on investment. Develop a budget for each segment with a corresponding goal. Track your expenses and appropriately code your responses in your database. Soon you will find your winning formula for contextual communication.

For additional strategies to further expand upon contextual communication efforts be sure to visit the Soft Trac blog next week.

Soft Trac is a woman-owned business and accomplished team of nonprofit software consultants.  We believe in making nonprofits "do good" better.  

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