4. Retention benefits!
We're Bloomerang, so it's the first thing on our
mind
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•
Jay Love has called the thank you "the
'springboard' of building donor retention..."
Studies conducted by Dr. Adrian Sargeant show
it is a significant factor in retaining donors.
5. Your donor deserves it!
...and he/she (rightfully) should to be told...
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•
The gift, large or small, makes a positive
difference to your organization and its cause
o And that difference is _____
You value the individual beyond just the money
he/she donates
o You are creating a relationship of mutual
engagement/interaction...not holding up a
sign and a cup
6. Best Practices!
• Use emotion!
•
•
o Giving is emotional
o Thanking returns emotion
The end-goal for the donor is for you to do
something with the money
o Give the donor what he/she wants: tell the
donor what you did with the donation
Nothing beats a handwritten note
o An email among hundreds, no matter the
emotion behind it, can't compete with the
human connection created by pen and paper
9. Overview
There are two parts to acknowledgments in
Bloomerang…
● The Letter/Email sections where you create the
thank you
● The Interaction you create that's tied to the
constituent and the transaction
10. Letter/Email Basics
A basic acknowledgment setup includes four
templates:
● New donor donation above your average
● New donor donation below your average
● Repeat donor donation above your average
● Repeat donor donation below your average
11. Interaction Basics
● The acknowledgment interaction is
automatically created when you generate the
letter or send the email
● You will have to manually create the interaction
from within the donation entry if you
acknowledge a gift in person, via phone, or
through a handwritten note
Whether it's the first interaction you have ever had with a donor or the first interaction since the donation was made, an acknowledgment serves as a checkpoint in your relationship with a donor. Like a checkpoint, it is a border where you have the transaction on one side and the next transaction, interaction, or other engagement activity on the other.
Their gift truly made a difference...Their gift was deeply appreciated...Their money is unique because it was used for this
Even if your organization provides support for people who hold up a sign and a cup, your relationship with the donor cannot thrive that way. You want to get to know your donors, because those are the people with whom you repeatedly spend time.
Show letters section
Briefly show how to create a new acknowledgment
Open top letter (First time greater than $100) and talk about general letter items listed
Explain Design, Filter, and Detail tabs
Explain Download Preview, Page Settings, and The Ahern Audit
Explain the Bloomerang field button
Explain the Bloomerang data table button ("I'll show how the table looks in a bit")
From the top letter (First time greater than $100), walk through the filters necessary to get first time donors greater than $100
Click on "save and generate" and preview
Explain "Total Letters" and "Total Transactions" and then the Design Preview and Transactions tabs
Click on "Run" and then
Explain "Do a Test" v. "Create My Letters"
Click into the second letter (First time less than $100)
Show how the design is different to accommodate the Bloomerang data table
Click through to the Preview page and show "Total Letters" v. "Total Transactions"...reason being that you are creating one letter per constituent
Click "Run" and show the test download for Johnny's 3 donations
Click "Run" again and actually process the letter, adding the interactions, etc.
Show one of the donations and how the interaction is connected to it.
Go back to the letters section and delete the letter and the acknowledgment
Go back to one of the donations and manually add an interaction
Add a donation of $20 Cash to constituent Blank C. Record (#42) and show how the letter section updates
