The upside-down funnel.

It’s not an email you want to read: Hey Dave, we’re reassessing everything, and I’m not sure that we can continue to afford your help. I’m sorry.

As a consultant, it hurts to know that an organization you support—who is doing amazing work—is struggling financially. They had recently made a leadership change and were trying to get their feet back under them.

At the time I was consulting on their fundraising technology but not their fundraising strategy, so I asked for the opportunity to have a brief conversation before they made that decision.

When you are holding your funnel upside-down all it takes is a simple change to make a huge difference.

I asked a simple question, “Looking at your database I see a long list of recurring monthly donors whose gifts stopped in the last 6 months. How have you communicated with them?” Their answer: “Oh, we never thought about that.”

No matter how good you are at getting new donors, if you’re losing more than you’re gaining, you’ll never grow.

Your organization is vital to you but to your donor, you’re one of 7,000 things on their credit card statement they must update if their card is compromised or replaced. You can bet that as soon as a card declines or an expiration date is approaching, Netflix, Spotify and their cell phone carrier lets them know. Do you? Many of your donors will not notice if you don’t tell them.

I gave my client a few simple steps.

1. Invest more in thanking your donors. Make them feel loved.
2. Call, email, and mail every donor whose card has declined and build a process to do that year-round. Let them know they’re important—and you notice them.
3. Check to see whose credit cards are expiring next month and email them in advance reminding them to update now because their support is critical to your mission.

It’s much more affordable to keep a donor than to find a new one—it’s better stewardship of your relationships and resources as well.

Now a few years later our client is growing and my partner David Baker at Giving Design LLC. has been hired to do even more strategy coaching as well. If you don’t have a good decline process or a good thank you process, let me know. I’d be happy to chat!