As you track your donors, there are 5 trends you need to carefully monitor.
- A donor is giving exactly what they promised.
- A donor increased his or her pledge.
- A donor stopped giving.
- A donor decreased his or her giving.
- A donor gave a special gift beyond his or her pledged gift
Every action on a donor’s part requires an action on your part.
When pledged donors are giving exactly what they promised, make sure they are thanked and not forgotten or neglected.
When pledged donors increase their support, thank them. The donor who is excited because he is giving more will be waiting for your response of gratitude. If the fundraiser fails to acknowledge that increase, he takes away the joy the donor has in giving more.
When a pledged donor stops giving or decreases the amount of his pledged gift, call that person to discover why. With a phone call, you will get the reason very shortly.
When a pledged donor gives a special gift, try to discover what prompted the gift. If the donor gave an extra gift because he received his an annual bonus, put a note in your fundraising diary to check in with that donor at bonus time next year.
This is another part of fund raising: keeping your donors on board, and ministering to them.