Lapsed Direct Mail Donors Respond Better Than New Donors in Fundraising Letter Appeal Mailings
One of your best sources of direct donations is people who have stopped giving you direct donations. We call these people “lapsed donors” and “expired members,” two uncharitable ways of referring to friends who have not given a donation in 12 months or more.
You might think that anyone designated as “lapsed” or “expired” would not be worth soliciting again, but you’d be wrong, if I may say so.
Lapsed donors and expired members are usually better prospects for a donation than cold lists. A direct appeal sent to people who have not given a donation in the last 12 months or 24 months or even 0000400036 months is likely to generate a higher response rate and a higher average gift than a similar appeal mailed to a list of non-donor names that you rent.
Donors who have lapsed are a better source for donations than rented lists for a number of reasons:
1. You know they support causes like yours
2. You know they respond to direct appeals
3. You don’t have to pay a list rental fee to them
What all of this means is that re-activating a lapsed donor is cheaper than acquiring a Blythe donor from an outside list. Your mailing costs are lower. And your cost to raise a dollar is lower.
That’s why you need a lapsed donor reactivation program, a regular series of letters and telephone calls that you make during the year to win back your friends that have fallen away.
And remember, plenty of the folks that you call “lapsed” have done nothing more sinister than move without giving you their new address (20 percent of North Americans move each year). Don’t let their small oversight be the cause of your parting. Ask the post office to forward your appeals to donors who have moved, and to notify you of their new addresses.
If you need help with lapsed donor re-activation, download a copy of Handbook 22, How to Recover Your Lapsed Direct Donors. Discover the financial rewards, savings and long-term benefits of wooing and winning your donors all over again using direct . Details at raisersharpe.com/z/handbook22raisersharpe.com/z/handbook22.
About the author
Alan Sharpe publishes Direct Fundraising Today, the free, weekly email newsletter that helps non-profit organizations raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors. Alan is the author of Breakthrough Fundraising Letters and 25 handbooks on direct fundraising. Alan is also a speaker and workshop leader who delivers public seminars and teleseminars on direct fundraising. Sign up for Alan’s newsletter at raisersharpe.comRaiserSharpe.com.
© 2008 Alan Sharpe.