I’m sure you’ve felt this – those first-time donors – so elusive, and yet, so important!
On September 17, we’re putting first-time donor retention on the table – literally!
Every fundraiser knows this particular heartbreak.
Someone discovers your organization. They care. They make that first gift.
And then… they disappear.
Was it something you said? Something you didn’t say? Did you ask again too quickly? Wait too long? Send too much? Not invite them into anything meaningful enough to make them want to stay?
On September 17 at 2 PM ET, we’re going to try to solve that problem — but not with another webinar or a presentation full of “best practices.”
I’m joining Rachel Muir, founder of The League of Extraordinary Fundraisers, and Lauren Laski of Bloomerang, for a live Generosity Roundtable called The Case of the Missing First Time Donor.
And yes, I have a role to play. 🙂
Our fictional nonprofit is The Theatre Kids Club. They’re retaining only about 35% of their first-time donors — meaning nearly two out of three give once and never come back. They’re also losing about one out of every six email subscribers each year.
The board can’t agree on what’s going wrong.
Are they pushing people away with the way they communicate?
Or are they simply not doing enough to invite people back in?
I’ll be playing the board member trying to get the cause back on track.
Rachel is stepping into the shoes of a donor trying to fall back in love with the organization, and Lauren is the development director trying to rediscover the spark.
Together, we’ll work through three rounds — communications, engagement, and operations — making choices and defending them as we go. The actual case materials include decisions like whether to focus public messaging on new narratives, rethink formal trainings and certifications, or invest more heavily in administration before expanding programs.
You’ll watch us wrestle with what this nonprofit should do next.
And I suspect there will be disagreement. (At least I hope so. That’s where things get interesting.)
Consider this a sneak peek at the kinds of conversations we’ll be having at the Nonprofit Social Media Summit this November, so I would especially love to see my community there!
Thursday, September 17
2–3 PM ET
Online – join us from anywhere
Bring the donor retention question that’s been bothering you.
And come see whether we can find the missing first-time donor.
Save your seat → Register for the September 17 Generosity Roundtable