Don’t Neglect Loyal Donors

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

To the Editor:

Before international relief agencies devote time and resources to developing first-time donors into regular contributors (“$990-Million Raised in U.S. for Tsunami Relief,” March 17), they should look at how they treat the “regulars” they already have.

As a longtime contributor to one of them (Catholic Relief Services) it’s been four months since I’ve received my last reminder and return slip for the monthly program I support. I’ve written twice and called once. The donor-services representative admitted that priority was apparently being given to the tsunami-aid donations. I can certainly understand an agency’s desire to process those donations to get help to victims as soon as possible (and to acknowledge the gift to the donor, especially first timers, to show how appreciative the charity is), but it’s hard to believe that well-established organizations, such as Catholic Relief Services, whose history and primary purpose is all about disasters, have not developed procedures to process major emergency fund raising and maintain business as usual for their regular contributors at the same time.

Catholic Relief Services’ donor rep sent me a supply of envelopes to use for my monthly giving and said it would kick-start the monthly reminders. Well, I’ve used my last envelope and no reminders have come. Another major organization mentioned in the same article, to which I also give, kept those reminders coming like clockwork. Guess who is now going to get what I have been giving to Catholic Relief Services unless the monthly reminders start up in the next month or so?

The moral? It’s easy (and no extra cost) to keep regular contributors by treating them the same through stressful times (for the organization) and good times.

Patrick Kleaver
St. Louis