Here’s a crazy out of the box idea. We all know the power of the donor who gives month in and month out. This idea will both save you money in the long run and could possibly generate a lot of monthly revenue for your organization.
But it is also a bit risky. Particularly if you are still only comfortable with traditional direct response.
Start with the donor segment of 60+ months lapsed with 3+ gifts. These are donors who have showed commitment in the past but haven’t given you anything in five years.
Send them a request to re-join your cause with a monthly EFT gift.
Have four super easy gift ask handles:
- $2 per month
- $4 per month
- $5 per month
- $10 per month
Now here’s the risky part.
On the outer envelope put some teaser copy in effect to:
“This is the last time we will ask you for a gift. Ever.”
In the letter, thank them for their past support and affirm that you are still doing work worthy of support. Recognize that it’s been a while since you’ve received a gift and that there are several reasons why people let their membership lapse. Write that this option would hopefully be easier for the donor’s time, energy, and budget while also being beneficial for the organization.
And then you can never mail them again. Ever.
Realistically, any response you receive is more than you’ve received from them in the past 5-years anyway.
If it works well, try your 48-59 months lapsed donors next.