Best practices for follow-ups
A good follow-up turns a pledge into revenue. A bad follow-up drives the donor away. This page gathers practical recommendations from the experience of many Unisoft communities to follow up effectively, without annoying.
The three levers of a successful follow-up
| Lever | Bad practice | Good practice |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence | Every 3 days | Every 4 to 8 weeks |
| Tone | Threatening, guilt-inducing | Caring, valuing |
| Segmentation | All donors at the same pace | Adapted to profile and history |
Choose the right cadence
The frequency of reminders depends on the donor's profile and the nature of the pledge.
Recommended cadences
| Donor profile | Recommended cadence | Preferred channel |
|---|---|---|
| Loyal donor (3+ fulfilled pledges) | 2 months | |
| New donor | 1 month | Personalized SMS |
| Major donor (commitment > €1,000) | 1 month, but personal contact | Phone (not Unisoft) |
| Sporadic donor | 3 months | |
| Donor in mourning or difficulty | None | — |
Cadences to avoid
| Cadence | Why to avoid? |
|---|---|
| Every day | Spam — guaranteed unsubscribes |
| Every 3 days | Perceived as harassment |
| Every week | Strong wear on the relationship |
| No cadence | Feeling of being forgotten or ignored — many pledges never fulfilled |
Adapt the tone
The message of a reminder must be caring, clear and valuing.
Tone to avoid
"You promised to pay. You still haven't paid. Please regularize."
Too dry, almost accusatory. Can generate resentment.
Tone to favor
"Hello [First name], thank you again for your commitment for [occasion]. Here is a payment link to easily finalize your donation. The entire community thanks you warmly."
Grateful, simple, no pressure.
Personalize when possible
For major donors or important pledges, prefer a personal reminder:
- A phone call rather than an automatic SMS
- A hand-written email rather than a standard Unisoft reminder
- A personal visit if you see the donor at the synagogue
For small donations or routine commitments, an automatic reminder is more than enough.
Segment intelligently
Not all donors deserve the same approach. Here are four typical segments.
Segment 1: VIP donors
Definition: commitment > €5,000, or historical contributors to the community.
Strategy:
- No automatic reminder (add to the exclusion list)
- Direct personal contact only (phone, handwritten email, appointment)
- Pace: at your discretion, never aggressive
Segment 2: Regular donors
Definition: moderate commitment (€180 – €1,800), with a history of occasional payments.
Strategy:
- Automatic reminders enabled at a 2-month frequency
- Manual reminder occasionally before a notable event (year-end, holidays)
- Channel: Primary email
Segment 3: Occasional donors
Definition: first or second pledge, modest amount.
Strategy:
- Automatic reminders enabled at a 1-month frequency
- Payment link sent by SMS to facilitate settlement
- Close monitoring during the first 3 months (lower fulfillment rate)
Segment 4: Sensitive cases (to exclude)
Definition: donors in mourning, in conflict, in known financial difficulty, or who have explicitly asked not to be contacted.
Strategy:
- Add to the exclusion list for automatic reminders
- No follow-up unless they request it
- Keep the pledge active so as not to lose history, but respect the pause
👉 See Schedule automatic reminders to configure exclusions
What to do in case of persistent non-response?
A pledge is not fulfilled despite several reminders. Three options:
| Option | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Keep active | If you think the donor will eventually pay (recent commitment, clear intent) |
| Keep but stop reminders | If you don't want to insist, without canceling either (useful for statistics) |
| Cancel the pledge | If you are certain the donation won't come (donor passed away, retired, moved, conflict) |
Combine channels
A multi-channel strategy significantly increases the fulfillment rate:
Measure effectiveness
To assess whether your follow-up strategy is working, track two indicators:
| Indicator | How to compute |
|---|---|
| Global fulfillment rate | (Total paid) / (Total pledged) × 100 — visible in the module's KPIs |
| Fulfillment rate by occasion | Same computation, but in Occasions view |
Benchmarks
| Fulfillment rate at 6 months | Reading |
|---|---|
| < 50% | Strategy to review — follow-ups likely insufficient or inadequate |
| 50% – 75% | Correct, room for improvement |
| 75% – 90% | Good |
| > 90% | Excellent |
Mistakes to avoid
| Mistake | Consequence | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Not following up at all | 30 to 50% of pledges never fulfilled | Enable automatic reminders |
| Following up everyone at the same pace | VIPs annoyed, small donors under-reminded | Segment (see above) |
| Not excluding sensitive cases | Tensions, unsubscribes | Up-to-date exclusion list |
| Using only email | Low read rate | Mix SMS, email, phone, WhatsApp link |
| Following up manually when an automatic subscription is in place | Confusion, sense of incompetence | Check the "Active subscription" badge |
Go further
- Send a manual reminder
- Schedule automatic reminders
- Copy a payment link
- View grouped by contact — prepare a personal follow-up