Fundraising Tuesday: How to Keep Donors Coming Back after the First Gift

Here’s the simple secret that every nonprofit organization should know about donors:

And maybe, not for long.

Seven out of ten donors who gave to an organization for the first time in 2019 did not renew in 2020–even though giving was up dramatically overall!

Donors who have given to you one time will not give to you again–unless you connect with them, appreciate them as people, reply to their communications, and encourage them to take the next step that expresses their values.

John Haydon

Connect, Appreciate, Reply, Encourage. In other words, CARE.

And the late, great John Haydon can show you exactly how. His book Donor Care: How to Keep Donors Coming Back after the First Gift is your essential guide to donor love.

Why You Should Read This Book

Are you a complete beginner at nonprofit fundraising? Then here’s what you’ll get out of this book: you’ll understand why caring for donors feels good, makes the world better, and raises more money–all at the same time!

If you’re on staff at a nonprofit, and you need to convince your Executive Director and your Board that showing the love to your existing donors is the place to spend your time and budget, you will love the stories and data that John gives you to make your case.

If you’re convinced but don’t know where to start, this book gives you a roadmap. If you’ve started but need to get organized, the CARE framework will help you make sure you’re doing all the most important things.

And if you’re an experienced fundraiser like me, you will find wonderful new ideas and even more valuable reminders of the how-tos of Donor Care in every chapter. You might even want to take the next year and systematically go through the book, using it as a springboard for improvement and a checklist to make sure you don’t miss a trick.

I am biased, because John Haydon was a friend of mine. and I love hearing his voice again on every page of this book. But I know that you will too! Donor Care is like sitting down and having a good conversation with someone who tells stories and jokes, shares his wisdom, and helps you find your own. Read this book now.