Here’s a reality you must deal with in your mid, major and planned gift work. Everything, and I mean everything, is in decline and moving toward disorder. This is the law of entropy.

The minute you start a relationship with a donor, it trends toward decline. Decline in valuing. Decline in attention. Decline in loyalty. Decline in inclination.

Entropy is a fact of life.

That’s why you have to work hard to make sure that each donor relationship you have is regularly maintained.

Jeff and I are constantly surprised that MGOs and PGOs don’t realize this fact in their donor management. They send their donors infrequent information on how their giving is making a difference. They assume the donor is constantly thinking of them and wondering what good they can do next. They don’t realize that entropy is at play in the relationship. It’s declining in energy and vitality. It’s declining in bonding and initiative. It’s declining in appreciation and attention.

This is why it’s so important to stay in touch with your donor and counter this very real movement towards separation.

Think about this today as you look at your caseload of donors. When was the last time you told each of them that their giving is making a difference on the planet? When did you last tell them their giving means so much to you and the staff of your organization? When was the last time you sent them information on the problem they’re interested in – that problem they have so much passion about – the one that your organization is actively working on?

When you stop and analyze this, ask yourself what you’re waiting for. Why aren’t you engaging frequently and on a timely basis? What’s going on in your head about all of this? What assumptions are you holding onto that prevent you from countering this law of entropy?

Make a decision right now to step it up. If you don’t, that important relationship will decline even more.

Richard