WARNING: This Is Your Last Issue

Why a simple reactivation strategy works

Earlier this year, I received a note in the mail informing me that my car was overdue for an oil change. “Impossible!” I thought, “My last tune up was a month or two ago, right?” Wrong—it had been six months since my last oil change.

I hope I’m not the only one who forgets regular car maintenance—and I don’t think that I am! In the busyness and constant activity of our day-to-day lives, it’s all too easy for matters that are truly important to us to slip by the wayside.

With this in mind, when you contemplate how best to reconnect with donors who haven’t given to your organization in a while—consider serving them with a friendly reminder.

If you regularly send a newsletter updating your donors on the great work they are doing through their giving, you have an opportunity to engage with them:

A LAST ISSUE sticker on the envelope catches attention immediately, and the copy on the reply form (You are including a reply form in your newsletter, right?) asks the donor for another gift now to continue receiving the newsletter.

That might be all the nudge they need to remember that they want to support your cause and send another gift. When this strategy was recently used for an organization we serve, we achieved a 30% increase in reactivated donors!

If your reactivation rate isn’t keeping your donor file strong, consider giving your lapsing donors a friendly reminder.