Member-Donor Management & Retention

By Karen J. Pruitt

Overall Objective

To provide you with a tool set of ideas to take back to your membership and continue Recruiting, Managing and Retaining Members in order to continue the mission of the Friends Groups

Introduction • By day, Selling ediscovery services to Corporate lawyers and law firms

• By night or on weekends, I believe in giving back– It’s purely selfish. I get the

most out of it!– I love meeting new friends– I love a good cause– I love feeling like I can make

a difference

Who is Karen Pruitt?

Introduction A single Mom of

– 4 dogs– 2 cats– 6 miniature horses– 7 miniature donkeys– 2 quarter horses

• Residing on a ranch in Livingston (East), Texas

• Avid outdoors person• Friend to all “critters” except

snakes • I love to volunteer!

Daughters of the British Empire

One of three Charities– Mission: to provide

funding for Retirement Home located in Highlands, TX

– Membership• Nationwide 3,000• In Texas approx. 500• Struggles to retain and

recruit members

– Raises about $30k annually at the British Festival held in Houston, TX.

Polk County SPCA

Mission: to find forever homes for our pets in Polk County, TX.Membership: • Core group of 7• Struggle to get members to

meetings• Very good fundraisers

through Fall Frolic Event

Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Wine Committee

Mission: Youth & Education in Texas• Has 31,500 members• Has waiting lists each year

to join the 109 committees• Throws a 20 day party

equal to a Vegas vacation annually

• Awards $20 Million to the Youth and Education missions in Texas Annually

Why is my experience important to the Friends Groups?

I manage between 6 and 400 members at various charity organizations.

– From organizing Galas involving Houston’s highest level of philanthropic donors benefiting Texas youth and education,

– to running a pub for 6 hours to raise money for a retirement home

– to speaking about how everyone can help with homeless pets.

• Involved with unstructured charities that are declining in membership to one of the most successful charities that increases it’s membership by approx. 3,000 members each year and has a long list of donors to bid on offerings.

• Most Important step for success: Have a documented Plan!

Development Cycle for Recruiting, Managing and Retaining Membership • 1) Identification

• 2) Research• 3) Planning• 4) Cultivation• 5) Solicitation• 6) Stewardship• 7) Renewal

Keys ToSuccessfulMemberManagement

IDENTIFICATION OF MEMBERS

Who do you currently Recruit?• Hikers• Women vs. Men?• Employed or Retired?• Photographers• Nature lovers• Wildlife enthusiasts• City dwellers who want to escape?• College students focused on biology, agriculture,

conservationWhere do you currently recruit?• Co-workers• School• Social clubs (Bridge/Wine clubs/Birding groups• Church• Gym• Other charities functions• Grocery Store• Local Bar

64.5 million Americans volunteered nearly 7.9 billion hours last year

Some recruiting ideas:• Corporations have

Foundations that approve charitable contributions

• Matching gift programs for employees

• More and more companies offer online Matching Gift processing, so no form is required

• donation via payroll deduction

IDENTIFICATION OF MEMBERS

IDENTIFICATION OF MEMBERS

Type of Member commitment?

• One time event• Long term commitment• Short term commitment

Sadly, most non-profits do not view their volunteers as strategic assets and have not developed ways to take full advantage of them.

RESEARCH Utilize the Internet!Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/news.release/volun.nr0.htm

• Volunteer rate declined by 1.1 percentage points to 25.4 percent for the year ending in September 2013

• 62.6 million people volunteered last year• Volunteering rates are at the lowest rates since

2002• Volunteers spent a median of 50 hours on

volunteer activities during the period from September 2012 to September 2013.

• Time spent on volunteer activities was similar for women and men.

• Among those who volunteered, hours spent on volunteer activities ranged from a low of 36 hours for those 25 to 34 years old to a high of 86 hours for those age 65 and over.

RESEARCH Research who to target:Percentage that Volunteer

Men 22.2

Women 28.4

35 -44 Yrs Old 30.6

20 – 24 Yrs Old 18.5

16 – 19 Yrs Old 26.2

Married 30.7

Never Married 20

Employed 27.7

Unemployed 24.1

RESEARCH How they were recruited…

• 40.8% of volunteers joined their organization after being asked by a current member.

• 43% joined of their own initiative through researching volunteer opportunities.

• The most volunteered for charity is a religious group.

• Food pantries and other vital life supporting organizations are second.

• Lesson: We must communicate and educate more about the importance of the Mission. Wildlife matters.

• Make sure your message has a sense of urgency and speaks to needing their help.

PLANNING

What is your Mission?• Is it documented?

– How many have a handbook?• Do you have a Goal to measure success?

– What are some goals of groups in the room?

– Do you present the measurement to the Group?

• What Keeps members excited?– Fun events– Educational topic tied to socials– Fundraisers

• What is the number one draw for new members?

• What keeps them coming back each year?

Communicate what your focus is immediately! Tell Members this is what we are about and provide all crucial information/links on first page.

CULTIVATION Network– New members don’t hang

out at all the same places– Ask what they do outside of

volunteering– Suggest they invite

friends/colleagues/school mates to meetings

– Ask members to step up and help lead the Group

– Compliment new members by asking them to speak at a meeting

SOLICITATION

Sell your message to promote Memberships– Require application process

be completed– Sign a Volunteer agreement– Provide a handbook– Create job descriptions for

each volunteer role– Show leadership path for

volunteers

STEWARDSHIP

Keep them Engaged• New and fun events annually• Membership socials• Educational seminars• Promotional opportunities –

speaking at Corporations or other Agencies

• Field Trips to Refuge• Tshirt with Refuge logo - fundraiser

STEWARDSHIP

• Members already Support Your Mission and Nonprofit

• Members Can Help Recruit Other Supporters• Members Donate More Money• Membership Produces Donor Loyalty• The Importance of Photos and Videos• When it comes to sharing the impact your

members are having, you need to think of yourself as a storyteller. It’s your job to weave a compelling narrative that clearly demonstrates the way your members are improving the world. Photos and videos can help your members see the results of their work, even if it’s occurring on the other side of the world.

• It’s all about relationships.

• http://wiredimpact.com/library/how-to-maintain-relationships-with-volunteers-using-the-internet/

RENEWAL

SustainabilityAll organizations face this…Strip centers often peel back the old awnings and put a new front on their signage to draw in new shoppers

Newly built, state of the art stadiums are great examples of remodel/build new and they will come.

Corporations refresh their Websites in order to stay up to date and look fresh

• Volunteer groups need to do face lifting and frequently.

• Has anyone within the last 6 months had a brainstorming session?– Review your mission to make

sure it’s still on point– Review your leadership terms

to keep new ideas flowing at the top

– Poll to find out how morale is throughout the group (www.surveymonkey.com)

RENEWAL

Utilize Social Media! It’s free, fun and it works!

In Summary… Thank you for this amazing opportunity! Remember to:• 1) Identification• 2) Research• 3) Planning• 4) Cultivation• 5) Solicitation• 6) Stewardship• 7) Renewal

• Stay Focused• Communicate often• Recruit with a focus on who fits

your group best• Keep things fresh• Always welcome new ideas• Focus on new members with

enthusiasm for promotion• Make your volunteer time fun!• Make it something volunteers

feel they own• Make sure you compliment,

thank and ask them back each year!