6 Easy Ways to Add Donor Segmentation to Your Fundraising Appeal Letter

September 7, 2018 Elyse Pleickhardt

You already know who the varying groups in your database are, and that they have already established an affinity to your organization. Now you need to consider how to speak to them through your appeal letters and communications using donor segmentation.

Professor Adrian Sargeant shows that segmenting donors and interacting with them based on their behaviors creates more effective donor communication. Understanding and addressing your donor’s unique preferences will in turn increase donor satisfaction, and their loyalty.

As far as choosing which segments will be most beneficial to address with customized verbiage, we have done the hard work for you!

Here are our recommendations and some examples of the most effective ways to segment donors:

Donor Segmentation Based On Giving History

1. Current Donors, SYBUNT, LYBUNT, and Lapsed Donors

Simply vary one or two lines in your fundraising appeal letter to recognize the different types of giving history.

“Thanks to generous gifts from people like you, we are able to…”

(Prospect)

“Thank you so much for becoming a donor! Your generous gift helps us…Will you join us in giving again this spring?”

(First-time donor)

“Thank you so much for your previous generous gift. Will you join us again…?”

(Lapsed donor)

2. Major donors

Often the best way to address your major donors is with a personal touch. Many organizations choose to remove the digitized signature from large donor letters and have them sent back to the organization for a personal signature or note.

3. Leadership Circle or Giving Society Members

Alter a paragraph or two and the ask within your appeal letter to recognize the donor’s support level and thank them for being a leader for your cause.

Segmentation by Donor Experience with Your Organization

1. Participatory & Affinity Groups

Participatory or affinity groups like Board Members, staff, volunteers, auxiliary, patients, new parents, current parents, grandparents, alumni, friends, sponsors, class year, reunion year: The possibilities here are vast, but it’s still important to address these groups in the same way they identify themselves with your organization. If you choose to appeal to just a few participatory groups, like this example from Norwich University, create two versions of your letter. If you have many groups, try using a variable field or P.S. to address them individually.

2. Geography

If your organization has services in multiple regions, consider including language that mentions the town, region, or the facilities near and familiar to the donor.

3. Area of service

A letter that includes specific messaging, testimonials, and stories about a focused service area within your organization can stir powerful emotions in your donors, and bring the best donor response—especially if they’ve had a personal experience with the service area.

Lastly, don’t get overwhelmed by all the options for appeal segmentation! Remember, one of the best things you can do for your organization is to build relationships with your donors, so try a few variations for segments that you think are likely to have the most impact. Then adjust as needed—and stay consistent with what works!

To make the most of your fundraising appeal package, click here to learn more about how to apply donor segmentation to your donor response card, too!

We know there are lots of details to think about in direct mail fundraising!

For helpful how-tos on ask strings, ask sentences, and outer envelope design, visit these other Five Maples blog posts:

Let Five Maples Help You with Donor Segmentation!

At Five Maples, we are experts on detailed donor segmentation in direct mail fundraising. We can help you address your donors personally and effectively in all aspects of your appeal.