In Direct Mail Donor Acquisition - What You Win Them With Is What You Win Them To

Want to learn a vital lesson in donor retention? Heres a tactic from Sunday School to avoid.

I know a Christian church in the United States that uses all sorts of tricks to attract neighbourhood children to its evangelistic Sunday School programs. One trick is to attach a ten-dollar bill to the underside of a chair in the classroom. The child who happens to pick that chair gets to keep the $10 Cool. Naturally, this trick leads to plenty of free \r word-of-mouth advertising in the neighbourhood on Monday.

Another trick is to give a toy to every child who brings a friend to Sunday School. Naturally, this means the church receives a steady influx of new students each Sunday.

But this church has a problem. And so do you, if you use similar tricks to attract new donors or members. Simply put, this church attracts children who care more about mammon than they care about God. Which is to be expected. A carnal incentive attracts a carnal student.

In direct mail donor acquisition, the equivalent of the ten-dollar note taped to the underside of the chair is the lottery or sweepstakes. The equivalent of the free toy is the free sheet of address labels.

The problem with lotteries and premiums, of course, is that they attract many donors. Of the wrong kind. Premiums boost response rates, even triple them on occasion, but usually at the expense of reducing the size of the average gift. And usually by attracting donors who will not renew their support and mail another gift unless they receive another lottery ticket or premium in return.

In the evangelical church circle that I run in, we say, What you win them with is what you win them to. In other words, if you use weight-loss classes or rock concerts or pizza parties to attract new people to your church, those are the things that the people come to receive. They come for the pizza, not the preaching. The music, not the message. The singing, not the Saviour. Churches and Sunday School programs that use these devices increase their numbers, but only for a season. When the incentives stop coming, the people stop coming.

Which is why I always encourage my clients to ask for the second gift first, in their mind at least. Before they mail the acquisition package with its expensive premium, they need to know what they are going to mail next to donors who respond. And what they will mail after that. You cant mail bribes forever. You have to offer donors a better reason to respond than bundles of free greeting cards.

Your case for support must aim for donor aspirations, not greed. You want donors who are sympathetic with your cause, inspired by your goals, and motivated by altruism, not selfishness. As Kay Sprinkel Grace says in her book, Over Goal! What You Must Know to Excel at Fundraising Today, You cannot motivate people; they are already motivated, and your job is to find out what motivates them and construct the right environment in which their motivation will flourish.

So, when you plan your next donor acquisition mailing, aim to reach the hearts and minds of your potential donors, not just their wallets. And avoid incentives that attract one-time donors and guilt offerings. What you win them with is what you win them to.

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\r About the author
\r Alan Sharpe is president of Raiser Sharpe, a full-service direct mail fundraising agency that helps non-profit organizations raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors. Sign up for free weekly tips like this, and discover other helpful resources, at http://www.RaiserSharpe.com.

2007 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the \"About the author\" message).

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