On average, nonprofits lose more than 60% of their donors every year, and an average of 80% of first-time donors don’t make a second gift. The number of donors has shrunk by 20% over the last 20 years and is continuing on a downward trajectory. Houston, we have a problem!
The donor churn we’re seeing in the sector creates unnecessary work for fundraisers and isn’t cost-effective for nonprofits, especially those with limited capacity. The commercial world spends billions to understand how to drive loyalty and strives to reach 90% customer retention. Why are we so far off as a sector?
This session will break down how we need to redefine stewardship from just sending thank you notes to more of a “donor experience” mindset that inspires and welcomes supporters in a radically different way to keep donors longer. Join Barbara O’Reilly of Windmill Hill Consulting and Nicholas Kristock, Founder of Fleece & Thank You, as they break down how we need to redefine our mindset around stewardship and how that applies to donor journeys. Whether you are looking to refine your donor experience or need first steps, this session will give you valuable and real-life takeaways.
Key Takeaways:
- Understand giving trends that are forcing fundraisers to think differently and could cause a crisis in the sector if not addressed.
- Identify ways to adapt current stewardship strategies to a new approach that centers donor retention and experience.
- Create the main donor journeys every organization should have along with the “nice to haves”.
Speakers
Barbara O’Reilly
Principal & Founder, Windmill Hill Consulting
Barbara has thirty years of annual fund, major gifts, and campaign fundraising experience at major non-profit organizations including Harvard University, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Oxford University in England, and the American Red Cross.
Her consulting firm, Windmill Hill Consulting, helps nonprofit organizations of all sizes cut through the noise and develop a profitable fundraising strategy that focuses on the resources, skills and tactics they need to build more effective donor relationships and catapult their revenue.
She serves as past president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Washington DC Metro Chapter and as a former member of the Advisory Panel for Rogare, The Fundraising Think Tank in the U.K. She is a frequent and sought after presenter at national and international conferences. In 2020, she joined the faculty at the University of Maryland’s Do Good Institute teaching nonprofit fundraising.
Nicholas Kristock
Founder/CEO, KindKatch and Fleece & Thank You
Nicholas is a former international soccer player turned serial entrepreneur and servant leader, and he has found his fit in the entrepreneurial world by building businesses that solve problems.
After two seasons of soccer in Australia, Nicholas moved back to Michigan in 2015 and founded Fleece & Thank You, an innovative 501(c)3 organization that provides psychosocial support and programs to children in the hospital and provides comfort to 22 children’s hospitals and units in Michigan.
His venture portfolio extends beyond social impact and philanthropy, as he also is the Founder and CEO of KindKatch, a personalized video engagement platform for brands who want to capture attention and drive deeper relationships with their audience.
Something interesting about Nicholas is that he has bungee’d the tallest bungee jump in the Southern Hemisphere and has also lived homeless for a week in Sydney, Australia as a member of the startup team for Orange Sky Laundry, the world’s first mobile laundry service for the homeless.
