Direct Mail Appeal

Rachel Schafer

We recently sent out an appeal asking donors to help raise money for three different capital items. We listed the different designations for them to choose from however some of the donor's returned the appeal with none of them marked. If the donor didn't specify which designation they wanted could the non profit direct the money to item of their choosing or does it have to go to our general fund?

JoAnn Strommen

@Rachel Schafer It's more work, but we would think it a positive touch to reach back out to the donor and ask. We've had something like that and called, thanked donor and gotten a designation. They seemed to appreciate or would say wherever needed most.

Was there any language in appeal that said if nothing indicated funds would…?

Dariel Dixon

@JoAnn Strommen: I think I disagree. I don't think it's a positive touch, as much as it's the minimum that needs to be done. This is just part of the stewardship that should be done for the gift. Making sure that we are doing what is necessary to verify the proper placement of the gift is part of the job. If you have a question about it, just reach out to the donor. They'll be thrilled to hear from you, and it will make them feel more connected to the organization.

There's no easier way to turn a donor away from your organization than by making assumptions about their gift or applying it to the incorrect fund designation. It's much easier for all parties to fix this on the back end.

@Rachel Schafer It's more work, but we would think it a positive touch to reach back out to the donor and ask. We've had something like that and called, thanked donor and gotten a designation. They seemed to appreciate or would say wherever needed most.

Was there any language in appeal that said if nothing indicated funds would…?

Christine Robertson

@Rachel Schafer How did you word the appeal? Is there language that states that you will use non-designated funds or overages in a certain way?

Beyond that, I do think communication with the donors is appropriate.

Irene Hui

@Rachel Schafer I think it is best to reach out to the donor as well, if they didn't specify which fund to apply the gift to. It is always good to confirm a donor's intent. For us, our finance department will want it just in case it comes up during audit time.