The 4 Pillars of Donor Relations

Book excerpt: "Fundraising has a major problem facing its sustainability, and it has nothing to do with the charitable tax deduction, with the transfer of wealth, or with the new generation of donors -- the millennials. It has everything to do with donor retention. Average donor retention rates for first time donors hover at a dismal less than 30% rate. Yet a focus on acquisition cannot be the whole solution -- not when studies reveal that donor acquisition costs seven times as much as retention. It's more cost effective to keep the donors an organization has than to chase new ones. A well-executed, strategic donor relations program is key to successful fundraising. In this book, Lynne Wester of Donor Relations Guru® helps you rethink donor relations practices and offers specific tips for more powerful acknowledgements, stewardship and impact reporting, recognition, and donor engagement."--Publisher's website.