STLCF Hosts Give STL Day Training on Donor Stewardship with Sarah Willey of UMSL

On February 27, the St. Louis Community Foundation (STLCF) hosted a Give STL Day Training at the St. Louis Area Foodbank Hunger Engagement Center with Sarah Willey, Associate Director of Annual Giving, University of Missouri – St. Louis.

Willey’s presentation was filled with statistics on donor behavior and how nonprofits can get their first-time donors to donate year-after-year.

Key Takeaways included research from the GuideStar blog, Bloomerang and Gail Perry’s Fired-Up Fundraising

• 2% of donors gave a second year. 79.8% were never heard from again
• Reasons for not giving again: 54% of donors they could not afford to give again; 13% were never acknowledged and 8% said they didn’t receive info on how the funds were used.
• What can nonprofits do to ensure first-time donors will donate again?
  • Acknowledge – First-time donors who receive a personal thank-you within 48 hours are 4 times more likely to give again
  • Inform – follow up with information on the impact of the gift

Give STL Day trainings are offered as professional development for nonprofits who are looking to develop an online giving strategy that is applicable to Give STL Day, as well as for other fundraising initiatives. The next in-person training, What is Give STL Day & How to Make the Most of Give STL Day for Your Nonprofit will be held on March 19. Register here.

For presentation materials click here.

For the full 2020 training schedule click here.

To learn more about Give STL Day click here.