Triggers
People give because something in your latest communication triggered a response. What was the trigger?
First-time donors
You could think of "donor acquisition" as catch-and-release fishing.
You throw your bait, fly, lure into the water, triggering a response. A youngster bites. You reel in a live one! It bounces like a drenched gymnast in your palm. Someone shoots a photo. You gently remove the hook; reverently slip the fish back into the water. It breathes. Gasps. Rests a moment. Wakes up! You wait until it swims off. You've made one fish a bit wiser. You like yourself. You smile.
Fooled you. That's an awful metaphor for donor acquisition.
There's no catch-and-release in fundraising.
A more apt metaphor is "catch and inspire that fish to grant you Three Magic Wishes." Olympian fundraiser Beth Ann Locke calls it, "Bless and release. You're not looking for all to give. You're calling the champions. The curious...."
Magic Wish #1: A first-time gift
Magic Wish #2: Repeated above-average gifts over the years
Magic Wish #3: A charitable bequest
By the by, all of the above is what's called "creative writing." It was fun. It is NOT, however, good how-to book writing. It introduces an irrelevancy, which wastes the reader's precious attention and time. It will likely not make the final cut.