Repot your donor relationships

Repotting, a term coined by friendship researcher Ryan Hubbard, strengthens relationships and can apply as much to donors as to pals.

Let’s say you always see a neighbor at the dog park. To repot the relationship, you’d invite that neighbor to join you for something else, say going out for coffee or seeing a movie.

Psychologist Marisa G. Franco explains, “Research has found that connecting in different settings or contexts can help bring friends closer.”

I think the same can apply to donors — especially the segment who crave deeper engagement with your cause.

Consider explicitly adding repotting to your strategy to improve loyalty and lifetime value. How might you repot donors into advocates, advisors, volunteers, peers or ambassadors? How can you track their engagement across these roles and measure the impact of creating multiple settings and contexts in which you engage?