Creating scenarios where the donor feels celebrated and important makes the person more likely to give again.

During a session at the recent Fundraising Day in New York, regarding making donors the center of attention, Farra Trompeter, vice president of agency Big Duck, and Will Nolan, senior vice president of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, addressed the importance of making the donor feel like a hero when contributing.

One of the major aspects of creating high donor retention is creating a consistent theme that carries through all content that goes to donors. Social media, mailings, and emails should be consistent in theme and message to the donor. It is important to link this theme to the core of your organization’s mission and present a role for your donor to see their place and duty in the organization.

This theme should consist of an urgent message compelling the donor to act and fulfill their role as the “hero” of the story. This theme can be identified through hitching a ride on news, relating the organizations mission to the holidays, and posing a challenge to the donors.

Another major aspect of keeping a donor is maximizing the potential of different channels. Expanding stories through mailings, creating deadline-driven fundraising through emails, and utilizing storytelling through established and new social media will create conversation about the organization’s mission.

By utilizing these methods, organizations can harness their own “superpowers” and create giving opportunities that make the donor feel they are part of something bigger than themselves – a hero.