Relationship Fundraising for All

Supporter Levels

Paul Stein, WJR Director of Fundraising & Marketing

Communications

IoF Scotland Conference, October 2013

Who am I?
What is WJR?

• International development agency

• Supporting vulnerable communities

• Responding to international disasters

• Raise £4.2m annually

• Fundraising team of 10.5

What will we cover?

1. What is relationship fundraising and why does it

matter?

2. Tiered relationship fundraising

3. Relationship fundraising in practice

4. Questions & discussion

 Part 1:

What is relationship
fundraising and
why does it matter?
What is Relationship
Fundraising?
What is Relationship
Fundraising?
“ Centres on the unique and special relationship
between a non-profit and each supporter.”

“Every activity is therefore geared toward making sure

donors know they are important, valued, and
considered, which has the effect of maximizing funds
per donor in the long term.”

Ken Burnett, Relationship Fundraising

What is Relationship
Fundraising?
What is Relationship
Fundraising?
What is Relationship
Fundraising?
• Not Uniform
• Based on capacity to give
• No set £ bracket

o Major Donors
o High Value
o Committed Givers
o Cash Donors
o Transactional Supporters
 Part 2:

Tiered Relationship
Fundraising
Major Donors

• One point of contact

• F2F meetings
• Bespoke proposals and updates
• Personalised emails
• Recognition and thanking
• Cultivation events
• Trips to see your work
High Value

• Key Segment
• Business Class Approach
• Cultivation events
• Template proposals
• Tangible Projects
• Phone follow up
Committed Givers
• Thank, thank, thank!

• Update, update, update

• Cultivation events

• Don’t exclude from DM

• Upgrade

• Repeat cycle
Cash Donors

• RFV

• Format

• Telemarketing

• Thank!
Cash Donors
John Grain 2008:

14 out of 25 charities didn’t

acknowledge a £10 gift in anyway.

DMS 2005:

19 out of 75 charities didn’t

acknowledge a £15 donation.

Craig Linton RLSB 2006:

Only 14 out of 40 hospices sent a

thank you within 10 days.
Cash Donors

“First-time donors who receive a personalised thank you within 48

hours of making a donation are four times more likely to give again
than those not thanked promptly.”
McKonkey-Johnston International UK
Transactional Supporters

• Relationship not with the charity

• Test, test, test

• Telemarketing

• Don’t try too hard!

 Part 3:

Relationship
Fundraising in
Practice
Relationship Fundraising in
Practice
•Create your tiers

• Adapt to capacity

• Start from the donor…

• Build a communications strategy

Donor Journeys
Integrated Plans
Relationship Fundraising in
Practice
• Monitor & Evaluate:

o Income!

o Attrition & Retention Rates

o Donor transition
Thank You & Questions
E:pas@wjr.org.uk
T: @paulstein4