How do you know if your organization is initiating enough contact with your donors and of the right kind? Is it possible to have too much? (Yes!) But the problem for most organizations is not having enough contact.

Fund development work takes extensive planning – staff and board members and other volunteers all working in concert to engage existing and new donors over time. However, the results of meaningful and frequent contact with your donors can be transformational for your organization. This is where major gifts and those highly valued "ultimate" (end of life, biggest-ever) gifts come from.

So… in general, how many times should you be in touch with donors annually? This question can be answered partly by the type of donor: Individuals – major donor and prospects, planned gift donors, annual fund gift society donors, sporadic donors and all other prospects; foundations and businesses. It’s also somewhat dependent on the personal characteristics of the donor (or funder representative) and whether they’ve told you how much contact they want. However, here are some general guidelines:

Major donors who are individuals, couples or families – from 4 to 8 times per year (all personalized modes – see next section for suggested contacts). In addition, send your e-newsletter and invitations to donor and donor prospect events.

Prospective major donors – at least monthly (all modes, with frequent personal contact) over a 3-6 month period, as long as they don’t tell you to go away. (Listen carefully!) After the initial period, you may want to give the in-person contact a little rest if they seem to need more time to respond. In addition, send your e-newsletter and invitations to donor prospect events.

Planned Gift donors (may also be major donors and annual fund donors) – communicate at least quarterly, with investment and organizational results, and twice more per year for “touch base” in person meetings or a phone call. In additition, send your e-newsletter and invitations to appropriate donor and donor prospect events.

Annual Fund Gift Society donors – Be sure they receive your Newsletter (e-blast is fine), invitations to 2 – 4 events per year, and at least one phone call or personal note annually. Try to schedule an in-person meeting at least every 2-3 years for donors in your top societies (for example, annual gifts of $1000 and more).

Sporadic donors and other prospects – They should get your Newsletter (e-blast), invitations to any fund-raising events held by your organization, and a year-end solicitation letter with a handwritten note if you know them.

Foundations – Provide formal reports on the schedule required, plus a phone call to your assigned representative on at least the following occasions: 1) To thank them when you get their grant check; 2) to let them know when their funding has helped you achieve some important programmatic milestone (whether it was in your original proposal to them or not); and 3) to let them know when another funder or donor tells you that the foundation’s funding influenced THEM to give to your organization. Phone calls or messages to your program officer (or other foundation rep) should probably total 3 or 4 per year. They should also receive your email newsletters and invitations to any fundraising or program events during the year. You should also suggest at least one in-person meeting per year, including your ED or Board Chair in the meeting if possible.

Business Funders – If you consider their funding significant, implement all the above contacts recommended for foundations, plus a personal note from your ED to their CEO thanking them for the business’ support.

In general, below are some good ways to stay in touch (across all donor types).

In person (or by phone if a personal meeting is not possible)

Give them some good news about a key accomplishment in your mission, achieved recently
Tell them if someone they referred to you gets involved with your org in some way
Update them (briefly) re your organization and then ask for their input on something
Follow up with them on something in which they have said they are interested, in regards to your organization
Ask them to join a committee or short-term task force of your organization
Ask them to introduce you to someone
Ask for their perspective about something your organization is encountering
Ask them to invite or suggest others to invite to an event of yours
Ask them to help your organization with something

Send them a hand-written note. Thank them for anything they do for your organization, not just gifts (but CERTAINLY for gifts)

Call and leave a message. Thank them for a gift within 24 hours of when you receive it, BEFORE the thank-you note or letter goes out

By e-mail

Invite them to one of your organization’s events – program-related and/or fundraising
Send them your organization’s e-newsletter
An occasional PERSONAL e-mail can also be effective, depending on your relationship with the donor

Pen a hand-written note to them on the bottom of a mass-mailing letter

In case of bad (and public) news about your organization

Support your ED and/or Board Chair to e-mail or call your major donors – individuals, foundations, or corporate funders – if possible before your bad news is published, giving them the courtesy of hearing it from you and assuring them that you will keep them informed. Also assure them that you value their support, especially now, and that you want to hear from them with any questions they have.

A word about social networking and contact with your donors

There are few guidelines in this arena at this early stage of the technology, but let me suggest a couple: 1) Make sure that your organization applies a donor relations lens to your social networking activity; and 2) don’t count Tweets or communication through Facebook as “contacts” in the above recommendations about the amount and quality of contact. Don’t count on it as a major donor relations mode yet.

I hope I’ve conveyed that staying in touch with your donors (and prospects) takes a LOT of time and a lot of careful, coordinated behavior between your staff, board, and other volunteers. But in terms of your fundraising results, it may be among the most important things you do.