Renewal Week: The Most Important Ask You Make

In the next few weeks, I’m beginning to sit down and start working on the annual renewal letters for a few of my clients, so it seemed like a good time to talk about Renewals.

A donor’s annual gift renewing their support of your organization is the single most important gift you get.

• It gives your organization reliable annual support
• Each year of giving firms the donor's bond with your organization
• Each Renewal gift means you have one more year of opportunities to ask for special donations, planned giving, and other additional contributions
• Many of your high-dollar donors (as well as your bequests, etc.) come from your pool of loyal donors who renew year after year

For all of these reasons, it’s critical that you do not give short shrift to your Renewal program. And a key part of that program are the Renewal letters.

This week, I’m going to talk about the various things that should be in your Renewal letters…and what shouldn’t, how to make your Renewal letters as compelling as possible, and other various tips for a robust Renewal series.

In the meantime, check out this oldie but goodie on Renewal series length. And don't forget to leave any questions in the comments below.