Year-end is often the best time of the year to raise money, but it is also the time when donors are the most frustrated with the volume of mail and email asking for donations. Simply stated, the high volume of fundraising appeals literally drives people away.  And some of those people are your donors, or could have been.

What’s going on here? From the donor’s vantage point, many express “fatigue” from over-messaging or clumsy communications from nonprofits they support, which often neglects to properly acknowledge appreciation for their support, or to cultivate their ongoing interest. 

From the nonprofit’s vantage point, direct response managers are often frustrated by the constant churn of donors who “leave the list” after only making a single gift. They’re also not sure how best to engage effectively with donors.

To help you engage and retain your donors, here are seven best practices to break the curse of donor fatigue:

  1. Thank your donors after each gift

I challenge every nonprofit I meet to make their Thank You email and postal mail letter as special as possible.  It’s not just a donor receipt, it’s the start of a new stage in your relationship.  Think of ways to make that message as creative as possible and focused on the donor and their continuing impact on the organization. Offer a phone number or “reply to this email” and invite the donor to get in touch with you. Review your automated Thank You email message and postal mail letter on a quarterly basis to keep improving it. It’s the most important message you can send. 

  1. Create an email welcome series for new donors

Speaking of creating something truly special, I always recommend an email welcome series for all new donors, even if they’ve been on your file for a while.  What differentiates a donor from other people that are engaged with your organization, and how do you want to communicate that?  Your donor welcome series could include a series of emails from key stakeholders in your organizations, including a Board member or a long-time committed volunteer.  If you mail materials to new donors, be sure that your mail and email materials tie together well. 

  1. Create balanced communications with your donors

A common complaint from donors is that organizations ask for money too often, which is a symptom of a different problem, which is that the balance between fundraising, cultivation and engagement has not been achieved. Do a communications audit with your current donors and email subscribers to assess what people receive. You’ll find it invaluable to involve constituents and donors in critiquing and developing your communications practices, so invite a few to give you feedback. 

  1. Offer your donors a choice in the volume and types of email communications

Not all donors are created alike, and the reality is that they have different interests and different levels of commitment.  It’s important to not overwhelm your donors with too much communications or with content they have no interest in.  Create a communications plan so you can offer a choice in the content of email and mail communications.  Your donors will often respond positively to that choice with deeper engagement.

  1. Rethink your newsletter as a donor engagement tool

Your newsletter is the most dangerous tool in your communications toolbox.  The danger comes in underestimating its potential and wasting it with casual monthly “news” content.  The true power of this monthly or quarterly opportunity is to rethink your newsletter as a donor engagement tool, and to refocus your messaging on how donors are making a difference.  Your challenge is to reframe your newsletter so it’s focused on deepening donor engagement.

  1. Invest in messaging with donors through your social media channels

Your donors are very interesting people and you should be keeping tabs on them via any social media channels where they are active. Do you know how many of your donors are using social media? Figure it out by asking them. Consider your donors as a special class of “social media influencers” and be sure to retweet their content and engage in direct messaging with them.  This sort of cross-channel communications will allow you to deepen relationships with donors and open new doors to collaboration. 

  1. Donor retention is the responsibility of the entire organization

The challenge with donor retention is to find ways to break it out of the traditional silo of the “Development Department” and toward a broader conversation among your whole staff, Board and volunteers.  Have quarterly discussions at staff meetings and Board retreats to explore the issue of donor engagement.  Invite donors to visit with you during a staff meeting and see how that feels.

Michael Stein is a Senior Account Executive at Mal Warwick Donordigital. He has been a writer and digital strategist for progressive social causes for over two decades. He is the author of three books and numerous articles chronicling the rise of digital marketing, mobile, and online fundraising. Follow Michael on Twitter at @mstein63.