How to get a donor meeting (scripts included!)
So... how do you get a (Zoom) meeting with a donor?
Let's talk about why this matters.
According to a study released by the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, here's the data breakdown on 2020 Giving:
First-time donor retention dropped to 19.2% (Meaning less than 1 in 5 donors who gave in 2019 gave again in 2020.)
Overall giving increased by 10.6%
Overall number of donors increased by 7.3%
Cliff notes? More people gave in 2020 than in 2019, the amount given is also higher, and we lost even more first-time donors from 2019.
My take? We must prioritize ENGAGING, COMMUNICATING, and THANKING the NEW donors we got last year if we plan to keep them this year.
Stop prioritizing NEW donors over CURRENT donors.
This should be reflected on your calendar. How are you prioritizing your time? Spend time reaching out to current donors and getting to know them.
So, here's an email script asking for a Zoom meeting with a NEW donor who has given for the first time last year.
Commit to yourself right now that you are going to read this and take action. Take "do nothing" completely off the table.
Hi [First name],
Thank you so much for your generous gift last year. I'm [Your First Name] and I'm the [Your title] at [Name of your organization]. Part of my role is to get to know amazing donors like you and report back to you the difference we've made together to change the world.
I'd love to chat with you, get to know you and why you decided to give. I'd also be remiss if I didn't share the way your gift has impacted the community we serve. When is a good time for a 20-minute Zoom chat?
Here are some dates that work for me: [Pick 3-5 time slots in the next two weeks]
Once you pick a date, I'll send a calendar invite with Zoom link.
I cannot wait to connect and learn more about you. Thanks again for your support. You are changing lives.
All my best,
[Your name]
This is generic, right? Please update it to reflect what your org specifically does.
Here's what you're going to do next:
Go over on LinkedIn and connect with them. Send a quick personal message that says thank you, you sent them an email and you're looking forward to connecting.
Let's say you don't hear anything back from them. In one week, you reply to that email and put their email in the To: with a quick message that says:
"Hi [First Name], Following up on my previous email. I really look forward to connecting with you."
Something short and sweet like that.
Keep replying one-two weeks later and following up until you get a response. You may need to do this 5-8x. Yes, I said 8x.
It will be worth it.
This is still LESS effort than trying to convince someone "out there" to give to you for the first time and they don't even know who you are, what you do, much less why they should give their hard-earned money.
Take it from me. My job was to get 5 meetings minimum each week and I always had cancellations so I had to get even more than that!
