Is it possible to output all contributions associated with the membership that is being renewed into the same excel output? We are exploring the best way to make it clear to patrons who give more than one gift in a year but are being renewed for the full amount.
For example: a patron gives a $50 gift in May 2008, then a $100 gift in December 2008, he would then be up for renewal in May of 2009 for the amount of $150. We would like to be able to say in our letter something to the effect of "Thank you for your annual contribution of $150 which included (gift A on X Date and gift B on X Date)
I know there is a place under the memberships tab --> contributions button --> "contributions associated with this membership" where they are listed out including the date, amount and campaign. Can this be utilized in a report for our desired output?
Am I missing something? How do other organizations handle renewals for people with multiple gifts annually, surely other folks have patrons that respond to more than one appeal a year.
Heather - I'm not sure if this is the answer that you are looking for, exactly, but we intentionally don't remind people of the dates. We did some testing and generally people didn't respond more positively if we told them in May 09 that they had given to us in December 08 (using your example). So, on the "multiple giver" renewal notices, we would say: "Thank you for your annual contribution which totaled $150. Would you please etc. ..." It's a lot less hassle, didn't prompt the random "but that extra $50 was for my husband's birthday" sorts of questions, and we are happy. Good luck!
What a great test, Erin! I love that. We’re always told “personalize, personalize, personalize” our direct mail letters but of course it’s got to be the RIGHT kind of personalizing and only testing will tell you what the “right” answer is for YOUR organization.
In our direct mail letters we make reference to only the last gift and ask for a 120% increase. (In case you’re wondering, testing revealed that 120% worked best for us.) So if you gave $50 then $100, we are asking you for $120. Yes, this means we might not get the full $150 renewal at that time, but we find if they made multiple gifts in the past, they will do so again. It’s a strategy that’s worked for us. Can’t say if it will work for you.
On the phones, our callers ask for the full renewal (increase actually) since there is a lot more room for negotiation on a call.
Bottom line: try some tests!