Why the Donor Life Cycle is Different for Giving Tuesday
Here at Julep, we spend a lot of time talking about the donor life cycle. It’s one reason why we designed the Moves Management dashboard, and it’s integral to many other parts of the Julep platform.
You are probably familiar with the donor life cycle stages — identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
Did you know that Giving Tuesday donors follow a different cycle?
Approximately 63% of Giving Tuesday donors will never make another gift to your organization. Why? The giving cycle is disrupted. The motivations for giving on that event are completely different from the motivations of a donor forming a long-lasting relationship with your nonprofit. While they are identified and solicited, they skipped the integral step of cultivation.
What does the Giving Tuesday donor life cycle look like? Instead of the traditional 5-step donor journey, Giving Tuesday donations are very different.
On Giving Tuesday:
1. Solicitation 1: This happens on Giving Tuesday when people are prompted to give through social or peer pressure to participate in a global event.
2. Acquisition: This also happens on Giving Tuesday when the donor makes a contribution.
After Giving Tuesday:
3. Stewardship: Rather than send a gift receipt and then funnel Giving Tuesday donors into regular communications to existing donors, you need to go back and start making the case to support your organization over time. Many donors approach Giving Tuesday with the fear that nonprofits will treat them like ATMs.
4. Cultivation: Reach out and educate these donors as you would a new acquisition. Even though they’ve donated, how much do they know about your organization?
5. Solicitation 2: This is where you make the critical second ask. If they don’t convert, send them back to the cultivation stage. They may need longer to build a commitment.
6. Conversion: Celebrate because you’ve just increased your odds of retaining this donor considerably.
7. Stewardship: Continue to thank them as you transition them into your normal giving programs.
Need more information?
If that sounds confusing, take a few minutes to check out the resources we’ve put together for retaining Giving Tuesday donors:
Download What Happens on Wednesday: Building Donor Relationships After Giving Tuesday.
Watch the corresponding webinar: Keeping Giving Tuesday Donors Engaged.