Contact Management

The reason Merkle RMG is critical is because we are the eyes and ears for a nonprofit. Think about it — we are the first to engage with a donor. Whether it is processing a donation, flagging a piece of comment mail, responding to an email, or answering a phone call — we are first to react to a donor’s behavior.

Sorry folks, I’m just going to come out and say it. Nonprofit organizations do not practice true personalization. While many nonprofit organizations profess that they are providing experiences and communications that are “uniquely relevant” to existing and potential donors, the truth is — they’re not quite there yet.

Whether or not you have money to burn, no one likes to waste money. And anyway, the government frowns upon burning their paper. So why are so many nonprofits squandering their resources on mailings to bad addresses?

In an earlier post, I highlighted some best practices for using contact centers to strengthen donor relationships. At Merkle Response Management, we help clients apply those best practices by offering complete service packages designed to support specific contact center activities. Our customizable solutions are built on frameworks proven to positively impact donor retention, response rates, and gift amounts. Today, I’ll provide a bit more detail on these product offerings. 

In a past blog, I talked about the important role contact centers play in enhancing donor lifetime value.  I outlined several best practices, including availability and responsiveness, producing a high level of service, gathering information to strengthen relationships and acknowledging donor contributions.  Today, I’ll highlight some examples of how contact centers can be used to proactively reach out to donors to strengthen their relationship with your organization.

Here in Hagerstown, Maryland, like in many small towns, we are close to our friends, neighbors and co-workers. We’re familiar with each other, so communicating is easy and straightforward.

Can you say the same about your donor contact management? Unlike our small community, your donor base is huge and diverse. And even though you want to know your donors personally, the sheer numbers make it really hard. It’s important though, to get to know your donors as well as possible and manage your contact with them carefully at every opportunity.