Asking Hierarchy This Fall

09 Sep Asking Hierarchy This Fall

9 September 2025

By David Allen, Development for Conservation

Consider this: Everyone who has given your organization money in the most recent 60 months will be solicited in the next two or three. If your plan is to send everyone the same email or letter with the same pre-printed remittance envelope, you will be leaving money on the table – it’s more efficient, perhaps, but it will cost you.

WHO you decide to pull out for more individualized treatment is completely up to you. Pulling folks out at all is called “segmentation.” Segmentation addresses the method of solicitation, choice of solicitor, and the amount you ask for. Up to a point, the more you segment, the more effective the effort will be.

Here’s are some very basic ideas relating to segmentation:

Segment first by method of solicitation. The most effective solicitation bar none is done in person. So, first pull out anyone you intend to meet with personally. It may turn out that these folks are difficult or impossible to meet with, and you’ll need a Plan B, but they shouldn’t get the generic Fall appeal either.

Segment renewals. Many of your donors will have given last year but will not have given since. These are renewals. Renewal solicitations are very different than appeal solicitations. Renewals carry three pieces of information: How long they’ve been giving (e.g. “Member Since 2016”), the amount of money they gave last year, and what you are asking that they consider giving is year. This latter amount should represent a modest increase from last year.

For example: “Last year you generously gave $50 in support of Land Trust’s mission. This year, please consider a gift of $100.”

The letter (letters will be more effective than email) will be 1.5-2.0 pages, 13pt type, with your Board directors listed down the left-hand side. A clearly stated request should appear on both sides, and there should be a PS note.

You should assume that those not responding simply didn’t get it as opposed to assuming they are saying “no.” Therefore, follow-up letters are appropriate. You can follow-up email in as little as five days. You should wait five weeks between letters. And you can change communications media, too. Send a letter and follow-up with email, or vice-versa. Keep following up until you have at least 70 percent responding.

Everyone else. After the renewals, everyone else will either have not given in the past year or will have given very recently. This is your appeal audience. This audience can again be segmented by ask amount for better results, but you won’t need very many. I would think that $35, $100, $365, and $1,000 would be plenty. Most people can be asked for $100 in the solicitation.

Appeal letters will look very different from renewal letters because they are not assuming gifts based on loyalty. You need to make the case to give at all for those who haven’t and to give a second or third gift this year for those who have given recently. The letter (letters will be more effective than email) will be four pages long, 13pt type, with your Board directors listed down the left-hand side of the first page. A clearly stated request should appear on every page, and there should be a PS note. Creative use of stories, white space, call outs, and color will help skimmers get the message in very little time.

You can and should follow-up your appeal letters also, but perhaps just one (or two).

And frankly, that should be your priority list for solicitations – those you intend to ask in person, all renewals, and the more general audience appeal. You have plenty of time, but it’s time to start if you haven’t already.

Note that there will be a small group that you should NOT solicit:

• Anyone requesting to be removed from solicitation (duh!)
• Anyone having made a memorial or tribute gift at the direction of a family who have not made gifts otherwise.

Do you HAVE to segment? NO. But you will raise more money for your land trust if you do.

Cheers, and have a great week!

-da

PS:  Your comments on these posts are welcomed and warmly requested. If you have not posted a comment before, or if you are using a new email address, please know that there may be a delay in seeing your posted comment. That’s my SPAM defense at work. I approve all comments as soon as I am able during the day.

Photo by Siegfried Poepperl courtesy Pixabay