Are you calling your donors regularly?
If you’re not, you’re missing out on a valuable way to build real connections with them!
A phone call gives you the opportunity to build real personal connections with the people who support you. Calling to thank donors for their support after they give a gift can strengthen their bond with your nonprofit, leading to higher donor retention and engagement rates.
With most nonprofit communications largely limited to digital channels like email and social media, it can be a game-changing strategy for donor management to call your donors. In fact, it’s one of the simplest and most impactful things you can do!
Do You Know Your Donors?
They’re more generous than you might think … and we have proof. Download The Generosity Report today!
The Importance Of Calling To Thank Donors For Their Support
Does calling donors really make a difference?
Yes!
In addition to tons of anecdotal evidence, there’s professional research supporting the idea that prompt thank-you calls make a big impact on donors’ future involvement with a nonprofit.
For example, research conducted by fundraising expert Penelope Burk suggests that first-time donors receiving a thank-you call from board members within 24 hours led to a 39% increase in the size of that donor’s second gift.
The 2020 Global Trends in Giving Report, too, found that donors’ decision to make a second gift may be influenced by a personal phone call.
But how should you actually go about calling your donors?
How You Should Call Donors For Best Results
There are lots of things to take into consideration when setting up donor thank-you calls.
For best results, donors should be called anywhere between 24-48 hours after their gift. That’s for best results, mind you, but phone calls can make a big impression any other time, too.
Try calling the monthly donor who’s given faithfully for years just to say hello. Call that donor who’s given a few times over the last two years to introduce yourself and thank them for their support.
Do you know how rare it is to receive a phone call without being asked for anything? Talk about surprising and delighting your donors!
Who You Should Call and Who Should be Calling
Board members and volunteers are well-suited for this type of call. They are passionate about your mission, but they aren’t on staff, which should reassure people that they won’t be asked to donate again. However, this may not be feasible for everyone!
Donor thank-you calls can also be conducted by development staff and other employees. Just make sure they know not to ask for a second gift while thanking donors for their first one!
After you’ve decided who will make the calls, the next thing to work out is which donors you’ll call.
Many nonprofits default to calling older donors or those who have made major gifts. They’re the people who are most likely to appreciate a phone call, right?
Not necessarily! Today, we know that younger donors and small-dollar donors also appreciate phone calls. According to 2021 data from Data Axle cited in Neon One’s Donor Report, 20% of donors aged 18-29 and 18% aged 30-44 say they have donated in response to a phone call from a nonprofit.
This is a good place to note that voicemails are an effective way to thank donors, too, and that donors of all ages listen to them even if they don’t answer the phone.
Ideally, your nonprofit will call to thank all first-time donors, plus donors who have supported you over a long period of time. But, if you have to condense your list, there are certain donor types that should take priority.
Calling major, first-time, and recurring donors is essential. But this article by The Nonprofit Academy suggests there’s one other important donor segment you could be missing in your outreach: Donors who have recently increased their donation amount.
This segment of donors is a good one to prioritize. Increasing their gift amount signifies their deepened commitment to your mission. That commitment is something your organization should be celebrating! A phone call to say “thank you” is a great way to show your appreciation.
An important thing to remember when planning your thank-you calls is to respect your donors’ privacy. Only call people who have given you their number. Do not look up phone numbers for donors who didn’t provide you with that information!
Failing to respect your donors’ boundaries can hurt your relationship with them—that’s the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve with thank-you calls.
Now that you know who should be calling donors and which donors you should call, here’s what to say on a donor thank-you call.
What to Say on a Donor Thank-You Call
The cardinal rule of donor thank-you calls is that they are for thanking only. Yes, one of the purposes of calling to thank donors for their support is to build relationships that will make them continue giving down the road. But you don’t want to make your thank-you call seem less genuine by asking for a second gift.
Here’s a simple formula for a thank-you call. Start by saying your name, the nonprofit you’re calling for, and ask if now is a good time to chat before continuing. If they aren’t able to chat, express your thanks while you end the call.
Once you’re in the call, take this as an opportunity to learn more about them. Ask if they’d be willing to answer some questions about what inspired their donation to your organization.
Some ideas for questions you may want to ask include:
- What inspired you to give?
- Why is this cause something you’re interested in?
- Do you have any questions about our work or how you’ve helped?
- What expectations do you have of us?
- How often do you want to hear from us?
- Would you like to be involved with us in other ways beyond being a donor?
These questions are beneficial for a few reasons. The most important is that they’ll deepen the relationship between your donor, your cause, and the people at your nonprofit, which is crucial for long-term donor retention.
Your donors’ answers can also help you create more effective messaging as you appeal to new and current donors. You’ll also gain insight into how best to continue a relationship with this specific donor and how to inspire them to get more involved in your organization.
As you conduct more and more thank-you calls, you’ll get valuable insight into how you can engage the rest of your donor base.
Managing Donor Calls in Neon CRM
As you’re making thank-you calls, you’ll need a tool that will help you track which donors you’ve called and a place to record how they responded to your questions. This is where your CRM comes in handy.
In Neon CRM, you can track call outreach using the “Activities” feature. You can create an activity, assign it to a system user, tie the task to an account you want to call, set the due date or time of the task, and change the status to indicate when the task has been completed.
Beyond phone calls, you can use this tool to record and track any interactions with constituents.
For more information about using Neon CRM to track conversations with your donors, check out this support article.
Calling Donors Successfully
Now that you’re equipped with the practical knowledge you need to call donors, you’re ready to start making thank-you calls!
Recruit board members, volunteers, and staff to call your donors. If you can’t call every donor, prioritize reaching out to new supporters, major donors, and people who have set up recurring gifts. You may also want to focus on calling people who have recently increased their donation amount.
While you’re calling, remember to thank your donor sincerely without asking for a second gift, and be sure to track your interactions in your CRM!
Want to get a feel for how you can use Neon CRM to track conversations with your supporters? Take a self-guided tour of our platform! They’re a great way to get a feel for the system without the pressure of a phone call.
