There are several tools and best practices that you can lean on to increase your donor loyalty in your fundraising program by helping you drive efforts to net long-time donors and gifts.

Donors, much like consumers, are flooded by choice. The Internet age has spawned things like crowdsourcing and online giving, which have resulted in an explosion of worthy causes and organizations.

Nonprofits must compete with other voices and operations, making it hard to reach a level of engagement and familiarity with donors that generates loyalty.

Here are some effective strategies to take when looking to attract donors and generate donor loyalty.

Think of loyalty as more than retention.

Much emphasis is placed on donor retention and for a good reason. Churn is the enemy of all nonprofits, and with the variety of choices donors have in directing their hard-earned dollars, it can become quite an obstacle to overcome.

Loyalty is a separate but related concept. In reality, it’s the step beyond retention. Once you’ve convinced a donor to stay, you need to motivate them with reasons to give: the difference between simple retention and more advanced loyalty.

Loyalty and retention are still very much connected since they both address the responsibility of getting a donor to stay on. However, nonprofits need to consider loyalty tasks differently if they want to succeed in that area. For instance, retention is all about establishing a base of engagement. In contrast, loyalty uses incentives or communications designed to make a donor feel welcomed, valued, and heard.

Regularly connect with loyal donors.

Communicating with your most loyal donors is typically about keeping a warm seat hot: You don’t want to let your core audience get to thinking you don’t value them anymore. If anything, nonprofits need to overcommunicate with loyal donors lest they risk a lull in activity and engagement that results in a giving reduction.

There’s no actual harm in overcommunicating, either. Your most loyal donors are likely to be the most willing to tolerate it, and they’ll let you know what level of frequency is right for them.

Communication can mean all sorts of things, not just emails. For instance, connecting with donors on social media or through a donor management solution can provide the same effect. The point is, never let radio silence linger too long.

Membership perks are a big reason why donors sign up for loyalty programs

Give donors a reason to become loyal

Use incentives to increase donor loyalty. Extending various perks and membership benefits is necessary for constructing any loyalty program. In short, stations must incentivize loyalty— but they don’t have to break the bank or crimp their margins to make it happen.

Loyal donors don’t expect the world in return for their time and giving; they want a little something. So whether that’s an annual soiree held for the most loyal donors or a gift every quarter, loyal donors will most certainly appreciate your efforts.

Aside from one-time events or freebies, it would help if you extend some smaller-scale benefits like membership cards that offer discounts at approved partner businesses and institutions. Such a network is a significant advantage for you and your members and a marketing point you can regularly hit on to gain new loyal donors.

Talk to Allegiance Group + Pursuant about a loyalty platform.

Operating a loyalty program is necessary for any nonprofit, but it can also be challenging if the organization lacks the right tools or solutions. Look to Allegiance Group + Pursuant for a turnkey solution designed to inspire loyalty and increase average contributions.

Contact us today for more information about how we can help and what our solution can do for your organization.