Thanking first-time donors

Your members and donors probably never see your CRM, except to fill out a form now and then.

But obviously they're critical stakeholders in the system.

Could you do anything with your CRM to increase what they get out of joining or giving? (And don't fool yourself, even an anonymous donor "gets something" out of their giving.)

I've got a client who has her CRM email her every time someone new makes a donation. Then she reaches out right away to thank them personally.

It's a great idea. It recognizes the intangible value donors get out of giving (something like: the feeling of satisfaction knowing they've helped), it finds a way to augment that experience, and it relies on simple tools that already exist in her CRM.

But I don't recommend it for you. Not right away.

There's something else you should try first. Tomorrow I'll look at this again in terms of measurement.

All the best,
A.