Your definition may differ, but I define a lapsed donor as
someone who has not donated to your organization within the last
year, two years or three years. Donors who have not sent you a
gift in over three years are not lapsed donors. They are former
donors.
Lapsed donors are valuable. Unlike strangers, they have
supported you before. And they believe in your mission enough to
have sent you a gift (or gifts). That means they are worth
mailing to. You can expect to receive an 11 percent response
rate from a mailing to lapsed donors if your results are
typical, says fundraising expert Kent Dove (
Conducting a
Successful Fundraising Program. Jossey-Bass, 2001).
Here are some tips on writing an appeal letter that will win
them back. In the fund development profession, the letter you
write is called a recovery letter because it aims to recover
donors who have lapsed.
1. Write to one person You will likely
not know why each donor has lapsed. Donors stop giving for any
number of reasons. Some forget. Some lose interest. Some get
distracted with the arrival of children--or grandchildren.
Others decide they do not like your new executive director's
ties. Each donor is an individual, and the way to win each one
back is to send a warm, sincere, personal letter from your heart
to theirs.
2. Say "we miss you" What you are trying
to communicate in your letter is that you miss the donor more
than their donations, which should always be true. You have lost
a supporter first, and a source of support second. So write your
letter in such a way that you show your concern for the person.
Here are some lines to use:
- We have not heard from you since March 2004. We miss
you! We are counting on your renewed support this year for. .
.
- We miss you. We miss your moral support, and we miss your
financial support.
- We sure have missed hearing from you these last few
years.
3. Invite the donor to come back Provide
a tangible way for the donor to renew support. Ask for a gift
toward a particular project. Offer a subscription to your free
newsletter. Do something to involve the donor and make them take
action.
4. Customize your appeal Whenever
possible, customize your recovery letter to the unique
circumstances of each lapsed donor. For example, if you know
from your database that a donor only sent a gift once a year at
Christmas, mention that in your letter. Or if another donor
supported only one area of your work, mention that. The more
that your letter appeals to the interests of your donors, the
more likely you are to recover them. Here's an example:
"The last time we heard from you, you had generously
responded to the humanitarian crisis in Honduras. You sent us a
gift that helped us meet the immediate needs of that emergency.
Today, I am writing to you because I think you can help us
overcome another crisis."
5. Match your langauge to the length of
lapse Statistically speaking, the longer you've
had to wait for a gift, the less likely you are to receive one.
That means you should segment your database into groups of 12-,
24- and 36-month lapsed donors (or another criterion that you
use), and send each group a slightly different appeal. To a
donor who has not given in a year, for example, you can say, "We
miss you." To the donor who has not sent a gift in three years,
you can say, "You have supported us in the past. Your gifts made
a difference. I urge you to renew your commitment by sending a
gift today." The idea is to be casual with the new lapsed donors
and progressively more vigorous with donors who have not given
in two or more years. Some examples:
12-month lapsed
"Your
financial support in 2001 made a difference. Your gift at the
end of this year will have a positive impact on the people,
which in turn will lead to better health, hope and confidence
for humanity."
24-month lapsed
"Your
financial support in recent years was a great help to us. Now
I'd like you to renew your support by joining with me and the
volunteers at. . ."
36-month lapsed
"We have not
heard from you for quite sometime and yet your past support has
made a difference for populations in danger. I think you can
help us overcome this crisis."
6. Tailor your ask Some of your lapsed
donors will have given once and never again. Others will have
given faithfully each month for years. Each donor demands a
different letter. The more faithful your donor has been, the
more that donor requires a personalized letter with a
personalized ask amount. In other words, don't take the easy way
out and ask a one-time donor and a 10-year supporter for the
same amount, treating each one the same way. You could ask the
one-time donor for a gift that's the same size as their last
one. And you could ask the long-time supporter for a gift that's
the same size as their smallest one, or their average gift over
time, or their last one, and so on. I'll leave the decision to
you.
7. Win back their hearts and minds Lapsed
donors need to be persuaded again to support your mission.
You'll need to re-state your case for support, and address any
reasons you know of for donors stopping their support.
The two most important things to say in a recovery letter are
that you miss the donor and that their support made a big
difference in the lives of the people your organization serves.
"A carefully crafted appeal that lets past donors know they are
important, appreciated and missed almost always produces a net
income," says Stanley Weinstein (
The Complete Guide to
Fundraising Management).
© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this
article online and in print provided the links remain live and
the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author"
message).
More Information:Alan Sharpe is a professional fundraising letter writer, instructor, coach, author and newsletter publisher who helps non-profit organizations to raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors using cost-effective, compelling, creative fundraising letters. Sign up for free weekly tips like this at
http://www.RaiserSharpe.com/ 
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