Do Your Donors Need Pipeline Safety Tips?

I got something in the mail today.

Not a donor thank-you letter.

Not a save-the-date.

Not even one of those credit card offers that won’t stop coming no matter how many times you opt out

Nope.

I got a Pipeline Safety Guide.

From ONEOK.

At my fundraising consulting office.

Now, I want to be very clear about something.

I am a fundraising consultant.

I help nonprofits raise money.

I do not own a pipeline.

I do not operate a pipeline.

I have never, to my knowledge, been within meaningful proximity of a pipeline.

I could not point to a pipeline on a map.

I’m not even entirely sure what ONEOK does, other than, apparently, mail me things about pipeline safety.

And yet, someone, somewhere, in a database I did not ask to be in, looked at my address and said, “Yeah. This guy needs to know about pipelines, but more importantly, the safety around those pipelines that he’s clearly super interested in.”

Somebody paid to print this.

Somebody paid to fold it.

Somebody paid to mail it.

To me. A man whose most dangerous piece of office equipment is a Keurig.

I held it up in my office. I stared at it. I turned it over. Took a photo of it. I briefly considered whether I DO need pipeline safety information and just didn’t know it.

I’ve been thinking about this brochure for an embarrassing amount of time.

And then it hit me.

Your nonprofit is about to do the exact same thing.

It’s nearly November. Year-end campaigns are loading. Appeals are being drafted. Envelopes are being stuffed.

And somewhere in your database right now, there is a person who is about to receive your heartfelt, carefully written, emotionally compelling year-end letter - and they are going to hold it up in their kitchen, stare at it, and say, “Who the hell is this?”

You are somebody’s pipeline safety guide.

So before you hit print, before you hit send, before you launch a single thing into the universe with a stamp or a subject line - let’s do a clean sweep.

Not just your mailing list.

Everything.

1.    Clean Your List

This is the obvious one, and I know you know this, and I know you’re not doing it.

Your database has dead weight. I’m not being mean – especially to those poor names of folks in said database.

But you definitely have addresses for people who moved.

You have records for people who have passed away.

You have a guy named Dave who gave $25 at a golf tournament in 2016 and has received 38 pieces of mail from you since and has never once responded.

Dave is done. It’s time to let Dave go. He’d want this. Its not like you are on a wooden door that ABSOLUTELY has enough space on it for Dave in icy cold water and you just let him go even though you totally told him you wouldn’t.

It’s ok.

SOOOOO, before you send a single year-end appeal, run your list through the basics:

Pull your LYBUNT report - that’s “Last Year But Unfortunately Not This” year donors. These are people who gave last year but haven’t given yet in 2026. They’re lapsed, but they’re warm. They remember you. Probably. These folks get a different letter than everyone else. More on that in a second.

Pull your SYBUNT report - “Some Years But Unfortunately Not This” year. These are the folks who gave at some point in your history but have dropped off. Some of them are recoverable. Some of them are Dave. You need to decide which is which.

Run an NCOA check. That’s National Change of Address. The USPS literally offers this service. It tells you which of your people moved and where they went. If you skip this step, you are paying to mail letters to strangers who now live in your donor’s old apartment.

You are ONEOK-ing yourself.

And for the love of everything, deduplicate. If Margaret is in your system three times - once as Margaret, once as Peggy, and once as Mrs. Robert Thompson from that gala in 2019 - she is about to get three letters. She will not give three times.

She will give zero times and also be annoyed.

2.    Clean Your Message

I read a lot of year-end appeals. Like, a concerning amount. I’m grateful to be on so many lists, and am always excited to get legit mail. But, I also need to tell you something with love and adoration for you and your mission.

Some of them are terrible.

Not because the cause isn’t important. Not because your organization doesn’t matter. But because the letter reads like it was written by a committee of seven people who each insisted on adding their favorite paragraph, and then someone’s boss made them add the word “stakeholder” twice and a sentence about “the ever-changing landscape.”

Nobody is moved by the ever-changing landscape. The landscape has been ever-changing since 2020. We know. We were there.

Here’s your year-end message checklist:

Does it sound like a human wrote it? Read it out loud. If you wouldn’t say it to someone over coffee, rewrite it.

Is it about the DONOR, not about you? “Because of you” hits different than “We achieved.” Make the donor the hero of the story. Every single time.

Did you cut the jargon? “Capacity building” means nothing to aunt Carol who just wants to help kids read. Say what you mean in words a fifth grader would understand.

I literally wrote a book about this.

Is there one clear ask? Not three. Not “consider a gift or volunteer or attend our event or follow us on social media or share this with a friend.” One. What do you want them to do?

Say it. Say it clearly. Say it once. Maybe twice. But that’s it.

3.    Clean Your Ask

This one drives me nuts.

Your $50 donor and your $5,000 donor should not - I repeat, SHOULD NOT - be getting the same letter with the same ask amount.

This is segmentation 101, and it is the difference between “meh” results and “holy crap, that worked” results.

Here’s the quick and dirty version:

Look at someone’s last gift. Your ask should be at or slightly above that amount. If they gave $100 last year, your ask string should be $100 / $150 / $250. Not $25 / $50 / $100.

You’re leaving money on the table. And not $500 / $1,000 / $2,500. You’re scaring them.

If they gave $1,000 or more? That’s not a letter. That’s a phone call.

Or a meeting.

Or at minimum a handwritten note with a very specific, very personal ask.

IMPORTANT: Do not mass-mail your major donors. They will notice. They always notice.

And if someone has never given before? Don’t ask them for money yet. Invite them in. Tell them a story. Give them a reason to care first and a reason to give second. You wouldn’t propose on a first date.

Don’t ask a stranger for $500 because they signed up for your newsletter once.

4.    Clean Your Inbox

Go look at your email right now.

How many unread messages do you have? I’m not going to judge you.

Ok, I’m going to judge you a little. Because I judge myself. This is me. I am part of this problem. So, let’s work on this together!

Somewhere in that pile of unread emails, there is a donor who replied to your last appeal. Maybe they said “thank you.” Maybe they asked a question. Maybe they told you a personal story about why your mission matters to them.

And you didn’t respond.

Not because you don’t care. Because you were drowning in 4,000 other things and their email got buried under a webinar invitation, a board agenda, and a promotional email from a pipeline company.

Before year-end, go back through the last 90 days of your inbox. Search for replies to any appeal or newsletter you sent. Find every donor who took the time to write back. And respond. Even if it’s late. Even if it’s awkward. “I’m so sorry this got buried - but I read every word and I want you to know how much it meant” is a thousand times better than silence.

Those people raised their hand. Don’t leave them hanging.

5.    Clean Your Calendar

It’s October 22nd. I don’t mean to alarm you, but December 31st is in 70 days.

If your year-end campaign is not mapped out - week by week, touchpoint by touchpoint - you are not running a campaign. You are just going to panic in mid-December and send one frantic email with the subject line “There’s Still Time!” at 4:47 PM on December 30th.

That is not a strategy. That is a cry for help.

Map it out. When does the first appeal drop? When does the follow-up go? When do you send the email version? When do you post on social? When do board members make their calls? When is the “last chance” message going out?

Write it down. Put it on a calendar. Share it with your team. Hold each other accountable. This is not the time for “we’ll figure it out as we go.” We will not figure it out as we go. We will instead eat Cheese-Its at our desk at 11 PM on December 29th wondering why we didn’t plan this sooner.

Not that I’m speaking from experience.

6.    Clean Your Desk

This one’s a bonus, and I’m writing it because this is on my to-do list today. And if I write about it, I’ll remember better than if I ignore it like the ostrich I absolutely want to be.  

Go clean your actual, physical desk.

Not because Marie Kondo told you to. Because somewhere under that pile of sticky notes, old agendas, and promotional materials from a conference you attended in 2023, there is something you forgot about. A donor’s business card. A note from a board member. A really good pen you thought you lost.

Or, possibly, a Pipeline Safety Guide from ONEOK that you definitely didn’t ask for but that somehow, against all odds, taught you something about fundraising.

Clean your list. Clean your message. Clean your ask. Clean your inbox. Clean your calendar. Clean your desk.

And then go raise some money.

OK! Your Turn! What are you cleaning up!? Did I miss anything? Is the garage on your list? Does a clean garage free up your brain for fundraising!? Let me know!

You’ve freaking got this.

-Patrick

P.S. If you want help with any of this - the segmentation, the messaging, the “oh God it’s almost November and I have no plan” part - hit reply. I’ve got you. And I promise not to mail you anything about pipeline safety. Ok, I probably won't.

Frequently Asked Questions About Database and Donor Cleaning

How do I clean my nonprofit mailing list before year-end?

Run LYBUNT and SYBUNT reports to identify lapsed donors, perform an NCOA (National Change of Address) check through the USPS to catch moved addresses, remove deceased records, and deduplicate entries. Do this before printing or mailing a single appeal.

What is donor segmentation and why does it matter for year-end fundraising?

Donor segmentation means grouping your donors by giving history so you can tailor your ask amount and message. A $50 donor and a $5,000 donor should not receive the same letter. Segment by last gift amount and adjust your ask string accordingly - it dramatically improves response rates.

When should I start planning my year-end fundraising campaign?

By October at the latest. Your campaign should be mapped out week by week through December 31st, including mail drops, email sends, social media posts, board member calls, and follow-up touchpoints. If you’re not planned by November, you’re reacting instead of executing.

What should a year-end fundraising appeal say?

It should sound human, make the donor the hero, cut the jargon, and include one clear ask. Read it out loud and if you wouldn’t say it over coffee, rewrite it. Focus on impact and gratitude, not organizational achievements.

Should I respond to donors who reply to fundraising emails?

Yes. Always. A donor who replies to your appeal is raising their hand. Search your inbox for the last 90 days of donor replies and respond to every one, even if it’s late. A late response is infinitely better than silence.