It’s a dilemma many seasoned fundraisers may recognize: A donor who previously made a gift of six- to seven figures hasn’t contributed in several years, doesn’t return emails or phone calls, and has stopped showing up to charity functions. Despite further appeals, the silence remains deafening.
Most fundraisers say they’d never truly give up on such an important donor. But after months or years of working a prospect, even the most tireless and persistent development person might be led to wonder: Are we done here?
Susan Hosbach, chief development officer at the Adventure Science Center, a children’s museum and education organization, is dealing with that very scenario.
“We’re still trying to figure out why we haven’t gotten another gift from this person,” says Ms. Hosbach. “I’m wracking my brain trying to figure out what ideas or projects will reinvigorate this person’s interest in what we do. There must be something — I just have to find it.”
This situation she and others face raises crucial questions of when — or if — charities should cut ties and save the time and resources spent on donors who have grown distant.
Fundraisers say that when a longtime donor or new prospect has stopped attending an organization’s events and doesn’t respond to appeals, they often drop their pitches for money and ask for something else: an explanation.
“You have to make your relationship with them the priority — and not the ask,” says Ann Hale, chief development officer at the Anchorage Museum Association. “It’s time to find out if they’re too busy to deal with you now, or if they feel they’ve already done enough for your organization, or if something else is going on.”
Mysteries Solved
Others advise fundraisers to take a step back. Donors have lives too, they say. And those lives can become complicated.
When a promising new donor to the Deborah Hospital Foundation was uninvolved for a year, the group’s fundraisers worried they had lost him forever. “It turns out he was settling his late sister’s estate in Florida,” says Laura Fredricks, author of The Ask and a freelance fundraiser whose clients include the American Heart Association and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Those entrusted with finding the money that keeps charities running can sometimes lose perspective, others warn.
“We have to understand that philanthropy is not the first thing on most people’s to-do list, and that our organization or cause is not necessarily the most important thing in their lives,” says Jan Brazzell, a fundraising consultant and the vice president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ research committee.
‘We All Do this Dance’
With that in mind, it’s important to be patient, especially when chasing high-wealth donors — even if they seem to be giving you the brush-off, says Robert Egger, executive director of LA Central Kitchen, a food charity.
“We all do this dance,” he says. “Should we debase ourselves and chase this person? I just wait. Rich people live in a different world. They have their own timeline. Your urgency doesn’t make it onto their radar.”
Some fundraisers say there is a limit to patience, however, and at some point they back away from aloof donors.
“You have to look at where a donor is on your charity’s priority list,” says Ms. Fredricks. She waits until three months after not hearing from a donor, and then sends a note that says, in effect, “We haven’t forgotten you.” Sometimes, she’ll stop if she doesn’t receive a response, but not always.
“If they’re in my top 25 for that charity, I never give up,” she says. “If not, I’ll consider the amount of time and effort we’ve put into them.”
A person’s net wealth also figures into the calculations, she adds, and so does the donor’s past level of involvement with the charity and his or her engagement with other prospective donors. “Wealth isn’t the sole criteria, but it’s pretty darn important,” says Ms. Fredricks.
Hanging On Too Long
Others say that regardless of how much money a donor has, there comes a time to part ways.
After pulling back on appeals for support, attempting without success to get a donor to talk about his or her reticence to give, and maybe offering him or her a small gift, charities should consider breaking off contact with a donor after about 18 months of silence, says Michael Montgomery, a fundraiser for a handful of charities in the Detroit area.
“Most fundraisers will hang on longer for wealthy people, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” he says. “It might create some political problems for fundraisers within an organization because they are dropping a potentially large donor, but in the long run, it’s best not to spend any more time on them and to put the energy elsewhere.”
It might pay for organizations to emphasize the pressing need for a gift, as well as the emotional benefit of making it, Ms. Brazzell says. If that fails and you’re still in contact with a donor, call on him or her to make a decision.
“Acknowledge explicitly that the prospect gets to decide whether to move forward, that it’s OK to decline and that you simply want to know how and when to proceed,” she adds.
Pushing the Right Button
By mixing approaches to donors — sending them personal notes and working back channels, such as friends or other donors — you might be able to crack the ice, says Ms. Fredricks.
And if none of that works? “Give up and move on,” Ms. Brazzell says, adding that she’ll typically send a final follow-up note of appreciation for a donor who has considered making a gift.
Still, there are many fundraisers who never say die.
“You never give up,” says Ms. Hale. The Anchorage Museum received a six-figure donation from an individual four years ago to support a particular exhibit. It hasn’t received a dime from him since. Yet the museum works hard to maintain contact so it can inform the donor about its plans.
“He and his family haven’t found that next exhibit that has gotten them excited enough to give again,” Ms. Hale says. “But he could give us a bequest 10 or 20 years down the road. You never know.”
Besides the prospect of money, there are ancillary benefits to maintaining strong relationships with donors who are willing to continue them, she adds.
“These people are often advocates in the community for our organizations,” Ms. Hale says, adding that they frequently provide word of mouth and often let other potential donors know that an organization might be a worthy investment.
" ‘No’ is never really a no until it’s, ‘No, please stay away from me,’ " says Ms. Hosbach. “I’m not sure I’d ever bow out.”
“Fundraisers, as a rule, are tenacious and passionate,” she adds. “Maybe that’s the fallacy of fundraising, that we always believe that if we can just push the right button, we can get people to give again.”
