Contacting Suspended Promises / Non Current Donors

Here is a quick tutorial on how to see who your suspended donors are. 

A few years ago, my father-in-law passed away. In a conversation with my mother-in-law, she mentioned one of the hardest parts following his death was having to stop giving to the ministries they supported for years. She loved what those ministries did and got a lot of joy from being part of the team that empowered them to do their work. On top of the grief of losing her husband of almost 50 years, she had to make difficult financial decisions, including reducing her giving. Being curious about how other ministries follow up with non-current donors, I asked how these ministries reached out after she had stopped giving. She paused and, with tears in her eyes, said none of them had contacted her. 

If you see an interruption in someone's normal giving pattern, reach out. Don't be that field worker who causes a grieving widow more tears because you were "too busy" (or too scared) to call about a lapse in giving. You're not a "debt collector" (as the Enemy would like you to think); You're a person who notices others and checks up on them when something changes. People usually don't want to stop giving. So, when they intentionally stop giving, usually something big has happened (death, loss, furloughed from work, hospitalization, etc). There are also times when people unintentionally stop giving (credit or debit cards expired, stolen or canceled card). They don't even know their giving has had an interruption. Here's an example from a Reliant field worker: 

"I am feeling much more positive about support raising. So far, the conversations with suspended gift partners have been great. Three out of five have responded and are hopping back on! Two didn't know they were suspended and the other one was literally just waiting for me to call and verify that my new direction in ministry was genuinely from the Lord! It was sobering and encouraging, and he is back on."

Discover who is suspended /non-current

Reliant refers to these disruptions in giving as "suspended gifts" or "non-current donors" or "canceled gifts." 

• Toolbox: Go to your giving data page. Filter for "Gift Status: Suspended" and a list of suspended gift donors will appear.
   
  *Also check Cancelled giving.
• Partner Essentials (use MPDx tutorials): Sync your giving data. Check for changes in giving. 

Reach out

These conversations are encouraging because they’re a way to communicate care and concern to your supporter.

If you can, reach out by phone. If you can’t, maybe a Zoom, FaceTime, or WhatsApp call? If that’s not possible, go for text or email.

Write out a quick script before calling to organize your thoughts and reduce anxiety during the call (or voicemail). 

What to Communicate:

• I called to check on you and see if you're ok. You can even leave this on a voicemail. The key is to be heartfelt and concerned about them as a person.
• Noticed your gift didn’t arrive at the usual time and wanted to see if something happened.
• *then seek to discover what’s blocking their giving. Maybe they’ve fallen on hard financial times and need to reduce their giving but couldn't figure out how, maybe they’re in the hospital, maybe they can’t find their giving envelope, or maybe they want to transition to giving online but can’t figure it out. Your job is to discover what’s happening and how you can help.
• Can't give or need to pause:
  • Affirm their partnership, thank them for what they have been able to give, and let them know they are still a very valuable member of your ministry team. Thank you so much for your giving. What you've been doing for me is extremely valuable. As a result of your faithful giving, (name) has been impacted by the gospel through (story).  
  • Ask if they would consider staying on at a lower amount. Ok, you can't give $200 a month any longer, would you ask the Lord if He would give you the resources to support this ministry at a lower amount?
  • (if no) Would you consider staying on my team until the end of this year? That would give me time to go find some new supporters to replace your giving.
  • (if no) Ask for connections. Who do you know that I should know? Who do you know who is like you and has a heart for ministering to (your people group)? Would you be able to introduce me to them? 
  • If the Suspended giver has completely dropped off your team, invite them to ask the Lord if He wants them to come back on at half. What do you have to lose!? 
  • Here's How to Update Your Giving

No matter what, please take this opportunity to affirm their partnership, thank them for what they have been able to give, and let them know they are still a very valuable member of your ministry team. For many who are in a season where they can no longer give financially, they actually want to know other ways they can help you. It’s a human-nature thing… when we are forced to take something away, we long to replace it with something of equal value. So, please give your supporter this chance. Remind them of the other ways they can help you in ministry (prayer team, volunteer, connect you with others) and ask them if one or some of those seem interesting. Some will really like the idea of helping to “replace” their financial support by introducing you to others who might want to give.

Update Donor Services

Remember, most of the time, gifts are Suspended or Non-Current due to card or banking numbers changing; and usually signing back up for Reliant giving gets lost in the shuffle. Your reach-out helps your supporter remain faithful to what the Lord encouraged them to give. Less common are people who have to stop giving for financial reasons. Usually the gift quietly stops because the supporter is embarrassed to tell you. Your call gives them an opportunity to talk about it, restore the relationship, minister to them, thank them for their faithfulness, and pray over them. You never know what's going on with your people until you reach out. A field worker reached out to a Suspended supporter and discovered they were going through cancer treatments. It turned into an incredible opportunity for the field worker to minister to and pray for their donor. So, if you see an interruption in someone's normal giving pattern, be the person that notices and reaches out because they matter and when they don't show up, they're missed. 

Additional Resources

How to Update Your Giving

Lapsed Partner Phone Script 

How to Reach Out to A Donor Who has Changed Their Giving