Even though I almost exclusively donate online, many nonprofits I support regularly send direct mail, most which I quickly dispose of after a quick scan. However, this recent message caught my attention: “If you could make just one gift…,we promise that we will never ask you for another donation again.” On the response form, there is clearly a checkbox: ‘Please do not ask me for another donation.”
This is an interesting alternative to the ‘unsubscribe from all’ option that normally appears on the bottom of email newsletters. Make just one donation, and you’ll never hear from us again. While this has some attraction, I can’t imagine why any nonprofit would want to encourage its constituents to request no further communications. In fact, this is just the opposite strategy of developing long term relationships with our supporters.
While I support this organization’s mission, I haven’t previously donated but signed up for their email list. Whether or not I donate eventually, this strategy seems backward. For an example of what I think works better, see this page from ThePort which encourages supporters to ‘connect with us in the ways that fit you best.’ Rather than discouraging further contact, it encourages constituents to choose their preferred channel(s). So I can choose to get online communications only and not the lengthy direct mail pieces which worked better with my parents/grandparents.
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I agree – this is a completely wrong-headed strategy. It reinforces the idea that people don’t like being solicited. In other words, “do this one thing for us, and we’ll go away and stop bothering you.” That reflects an astounding lack of belief in the organization and its continuing mission! I can see giving people the opportunity to opt out of e-mail or snail mail contact (one OR the other, not both), but to invite someone to completely disconnect is just shooting yourself in the foot.
I think that strategy is contrary to best practices that indicate that: your best donor is your previous donor, and that acquisition costs for new donors are significant (therefore, targeting previous donors is a sound strategy). By offering the option to make a one-time gift in exchange from never hearing from the nonprofit again, this organization thwarts any effort to establish a long-lasting relationship. It’s as if this nonprofit does not believe in asking someone to participate in their program by supporting the mission and cause; wouldn’t you want to inform your donor how you’re spending their money, how you’re using it to save lives, to do this, to do that?
Exactly my point – thanks for the comments.
Regards, Norman