I notice many lost opportunities when animal shelters and rescues don’t take advantage of the many ways they can develop a responsive donor database. Take every opportunity to gather the names of people who have expressed interest in your organization and mission. Set a goal to implement one of these seven simple solutions every day for seven days and you’ll find your donor list growing.

Add these names to your database:

–  All volunteers at your shelter

—  Donors of money, supplies, items for your thrift shop, etc.

—  Email newsletter subscribers

—  The names of anyone who received a donation in her honor, ie., if someone sends a donation in honor of Mom for Mother’s Day, add the donor’s name and Mom’s name to your list

In addition, ask your webmaster to add these features:

–  Set up website so donation page has a “share” feature to send email message to friends, ie., “I just donated to xx shelter. This is a group I think you’d be interested in.”

—  Add the “share” feature on your email newsletter so subscribers can forward to friends.

—  Facebook page – Use page as a means to share special fundraising needs, such as special needs pets, animals rescued from hoarding situations, etc. Ask readers to share these needs with their friends via Facebook.