What if you could receive a notification at just the right time to reach out to your donors? Donorbox's Donor Moments feature alerts you when a certain donor activity is triggered, allowing you to be more proactive in your donor relationship management. Read on to learn how this feature works and the best way to use it.
![Donor Communication Done Right with Moments in Donorbox CRM [+ Templates]](https://donorbox.org/nonprofit-blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Donor-Communication-Done-Right-.png)
Personalization and timing are the pillars of effective donor communications. Keeping track of important donor milestones and activities can be difficult, and without the right tools, it can feel impossible to make the individualized outreach that defines good donor stewardship.
Donorbox CRM streamlines donor communication with Moments, a feature designed to improve your engagement and ensure you never miss the right time to connect. Read on to discover how it works and find eight free templates to get you set up for success.
Targeted donor outreach is about sending the right content at the right time. There are certain milestones or Moments where connecting with your donors is crucial. That’s why Donorbox CRM Moments automates the process for you so you never miss an opportunity for meaningful engagement.
Donorbox helps you reach out to donors during the following donor Moments:
Plus, get notified when donors give with a different address or phone number so you can decide whether you’d like to update their records.
With Donorbox CRM Moments, you have two options for outreach:
To use the Automated Moments feature, you will need access to Mail Center – Donorbox CRM’s built-in hub for donor communication. Learn more.
Creating automated workflows for donor outreach takes only a few steps:
Head over to our knowledge base for the step-by-step guide to setting up Automated Moments.
Donorbox CRM Moments will automate some of your donor outreach – but you still need to build compelling templates! Here are some tips to make your templates shine.
Any communication you send to your donors should build up your brand. After all, your brand’s voice is a kind of fingerprint for your identity. Whether it’s casual, warm, serious, or comedic, use your voice to help forge deeper connections with your donors.
Pro tip: Speaking of branding, does your donation form match your website and logo? Brand-aligned donation forms can bring in up to 38% larger donations. Learn more.
The average person receives around 120 emails a day between their personal and professional inboxes. That’s a lot of competition for your donors’ attention!
Write subject lines that stand out. To find what resonates with your audience, you may need to do some A/B testing – meaning sending out two emails with different subject lines to see which one your audience responds to.
When you’re sending an email to a current or lapsed donor, showcase how important their donations are to your cause. Impact is everything with donors – it’s why they give and it’s what they want to see when they consider giving again.
Use storytelling to convey impact in a way that both entertains and educates. Statistics are also a great indication of impact. Most donors respond to a mix of both techniques.
People love to skim text, especially in their email inboxes. Bolding the important text gives their eyes something to land on – and helps you convey the crucial parts of your message.
Bold anything you want to be sure your donors see, like a call to action or important notice.
Not every email you send will have a call to action, but most of them will. This refers to what you’d like your donors to do after reading your email. The action could be visiting your website, making another donation, or completing a survey.
Whatever the case may be, your call to action should be clear and concise.
Need some inspiration to get started? Here are eight basic templates, one for each of the Moments used in this Donorbox CRM feature. Use these as a starting point and set up Automated Moments so you never miss the right time to reach out.
Subject line: Welcome to the [Nonprofit Name] family, [Name]!
Hi [First Name],
I’m thrilled to welcome you to the [nonprofit name] family! Your first gift is more than just a donation. It’s the first step toward creating lasting, meaningful change, and it’s already making a real difference.
Your [donation amount] gift means [person, family, or place] will now have [insert impact story].
This is the kind of impact you’re helping to create.
It’s more than addressing immediate needs. You’re helping to build hope, transform lives, and drive systemic change that lasts [add your nonprofit’s long-term objectives].
Thank you for being a part of something so much bigger.
We’ll be in touch soon with stories and updates to show you how your generosity is making a difference. In the meantime, feel free to check out the impact we’re making together: [website link].
[Signature]
Subject line: A year of making a difference!
[First Name,]
It’s been a year since your first donation to our cause. That’s a whole year of [description of impact]. We are so grateful for donors like you who have stepped up to make a difference. You’ve been a crucial partner in creating [impact] – but our work isn’t over yet.
[Describe the ongoing problem or issue your organization works to solve.]
Will you please give again today to help us continue our crucial mission? [Link to your donation page]
With your help, we can keep [describe mission].
Thank you.
[Signature]
Subject: See what your year of donations has accomplished.
Thank you for a year of giving to our cause! Your generosity makes our work not only possible but more impactful than ever.
This year, your donations have funded:
And with your continued generosity, I know we will go on to achieve even more change.
Your consistent generosity has been life-changing for [brief example or story for…].
Thank you for being a part of [organization name],
[Signature]
Subject: Welcome to the [Nonprofit Name] family, [First Name]!
[First name],
Today you made a choice to provide crucial support to [beneficiaries/mission] with a recurring donation, and we are so grateful for your generosity. Recurring donations add up in a big way, allowing us to [describe impact].
Your ongoing support provides [insert an impact story about a beneficiary or solution].
All we can say is thank you. Thank you for choosing to help those who need it most.
Keep an eye out for our newsletters, where we’ll show you just how far your donations will go.
All my best,
[Signature]
Subject: We’re sorry to see you go, [First Name].
Dear [First Name],
Thank you for your donations that have fueled countless programs, like our [insert programming]. We completely understand your decision to cancel your recurring donation, but we’d still love for you to remain part of our community! Here are a few ways you can stay involved:
– Volunteer: [link to volunteer opportunities]
– Be an Advocate: Share our mission with your network [link to social media kit]
– Join Our Board: [link to board information or advocacy toolkit]
We understand that circumstances change and are so grateful for the role you’ve played in supporting our mission. Should you wish to reinstate your recurring donation, you can do so at any time through your Donorbox Donor Portal.
Thank you again,
[Signature]
Subject: Thank you for increasing your donation!
[First Name],
Thank you for generously increasing your recurring donation amount. Your recurring donations fund our work to [insert mission].
Over the past [time frame], your gifts have [action verb i.e. delivered/served]:
We are so grateful for your increased support. From all of us at [Nonprofit Name], thank you for your generosity.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
Subject: Your donation makes a big impact, [First Name]
Dear [First Name],
Thank you for your continued generosity. Recurring donors make our important work possible.
This year, donors like you have helped us:
Without your support, we won’t be able to provide as much support to [mission or beneficiaries]. Will you consider increasing your recurring donation amount? Together, we can [insert change]. You can edit your donation amount in your Donorbox Donor Portal.
From all of us at [Nonprofit Name], thank you for your generosity.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
Subject: Happy Birthday, [First Name]!
[First Name],
Today is a very special day! From all of us at [Nonprofit Name], we hope you have a very happy birthday.
Thank you for being a part of our mission to [insert mission]. Because of people like you, we’ve been able to [impact]. We hope you celebrate your special day with people and activities that bring you joy.
All our best,
[Signature]
Donor communication doesn’t have to be complicated. Your donors want to feel like an important part of your mission, and like they’ve made a real difference with their gift.
Donorbox CRM’s Moments feature helps you find the perfect time to reach out – when a connection can build a stronger relationship, encourage further giving, or keep a donor from lapsing completely. Use the email templates provided in this blog to create robust communications that are ready to go for each donor milestone, and even automate this outreach with Automated Moments.
Donorbox CRM is designed to help you nurture your donor relationships, stay on top of tasks, and easily connect with your donors. Not using Donorbox CRM to transform your fundraising yet? Learn more and contact our sales team for a custom quote. Plans start at $75 a month.
Raviraj heads the sales and marketing team at Donorbox. His growth-hacking abilities have helped Donorbox boost fundraising efforts for thousands of nonprofit organizations.
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Raj