# The Gift That Hasn't Happened

Original field notes by Gratona.

The worked cases and templates use invented people and organizations.

Record what donors say about giving again, follow up only where they’ve agreed, and report the survey without counting a gift that hasn’t happened.

Research: Promoting the Return of Lapsed Blood Donors: A Seven-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial of the Question–Behavior Effect.

## Reading connection

Gaston Godin and colleagues sent questionnaires to lapsed blood donors and counted blood-drive registrations. Everyone assigned to each questionnaire was compared with a control group that received none.

## Team kit

### Your survey question

Keep the follow-up question separate from the intention question, and keep the last line.

```text
Subject: A quick question from [organization]

Hi [first name],

[One sentence on why you’re asking.] It’s one question, and you can skip it.

Are you thinking about giving to [organization] again in the next [period]?
( ) Yes, I plan to
( ) I’m not sure yet
( ) Not right now

Would you like someone from [organization] to get in touch?
☐ Yes, by email
☐ Yes, by phone: [number]
Leave both blank if you’d rather not hear from us about this.

Anything you’d like us to know? [optional]

Your answer isn’t a promise. We’ll only contact you about it if you tick a box above.

[Name]
[Role], [Organization]
```

### Your follow-up messages

Send only to donors who asked to hear from you, by the channel they chose. Each version has a way to decline.

```text
FOR “YES, I PLAN TO”

Hi [first name],

Thank you for answering our question in [month], and for asking us to get in touch.

You said you’re planning to give to [organization] again. There’s nothing you need to do now. In case it’s useful, here’s what has changed since your last gift: [one or two confirmed sentences].

When you’re ready, you can give at [link], or reply and I’ll send a form.

If you’d rather not hear from us about this again, reply “no thanks” and I’ll make a note.

[Name]


FOR “I’M NOT SURE YET”

Hi [first name],

Thank you for answering our question in [month], and for asking us to get in touch.

Is there anything that would help you decide, or anything you’d like to know about our work? I’m happy to [answer questions / send a short update / arrange a visit].

If you’d rather not hear from us about this again, reply “no thanks” and I’ll make a note.

[Name]


FOR “NOT RIGHT NOW”

Hi [first name],

Thank you for letting us know, and for asking us to stay in touch.

[Only if real: a way to stay involved that isn’t a gift, such as volunteering or an open day.] We won’t ask you for a donation in reply to your answer.

If you’d rather not hear from us about this again, reply “no thanks” and I’ll make a note.

[Name]
```

### Your intention record and survey report

The record holds one donor’s answer. The report must add up to everyone sent the survey.

```text
DONOR INTENTION RECORD

Donor ID:
Survey and date sent:
Question, word for word:
Answer, word for word:
Date answered:
Comment, word for word:
Amount, only if the donor wrote one, word for word:
Follow-up permission: ☐ email  ☐ phone  ☐ none    Date:
Staff notes (separate from the answer):
Follow-up owner:                Due by:
Follow-up done (date, channel):
Donor’s response:
Gift before follow-up? (date, gift ID):
Formal pledge? (referred to finance; pledge ID if recorded):
Recheck date:
At recheck: ☐ gave  ☐ no gift, answer moved to history  ☐ asked again, with consent


SURVEY REPORT

Assigned to survey:             Assigned to comparison group:
Assignment unit (individual donor / household):
Assignment date and method:
Contact preferences checked before assignment:
What differs between groups, including any agreed follow-up:
Bounced:
Delivered, no reply:
Plan to give:
Not sure yet:
Not right now:
Total (must equal assigned to survey):
Reply rate (replies ÷ assigned to survey):

Asked for follow-up:
Gave before follow-up:
Followed up:
Declined further contact:

Gifts received (in revenue as usual):
Intentions in revenue, receivables or forecast: none
Pledges (recorded by finance; see pledges report):

Comparison window (fixed before sending):
Survey group: donors who gave ÷ assigned =
Comparison group: donors who gave ÷ assigned =
Difference, with counts:
Read as: ☐ too small to call  ☐ worth repeating  ☐ other:
```

### Who does what

Whoever processes replies records each answer word for word and opens a follow-up task only where the donor ticked a box. One named person owns each follow-up and its due date. Finance owns pledges, through whatever process your organization already uses; the survey doesn’t create a new kind of commitment. Whoever reports to leadership owns the reconciliation, the comparison and the recheck date.

### Exceptions

- A donor gives before you follow up. Cancel the follow-up, send the receipt and thanks as usual and close the answer.
- A donor writes an amount. Copy it word for word into the comment field. It becomes a pledge only if the donor makes one through your usual process.
- A donor who said “not right now” gives anyway. Thank them as you would anyone. The earlier answer was true when they gave it.
- Someone answers for a household. Record the answer against the person who replied and note the household. Don’t copy it onto other people’s records.
- A donor asks not to be contacted at all. That overrides the follow-up and every other list.

### Check whether it worked

- Every recipient appears in exactly one line of the report, and the lines add up to the number sent.
- Every follow-up task traces back to a ticked box.
- No intention appears in revenue, receivables or the forecast.
- Every answer has a recheck date, and the active list shrinks as those dates pass.
- If you compared groups, both giving rates use everyone assigned, over the same fixed dates.

## Read further

Read how the seven groups were defined and what each questionnaire asked, then the registration results at 6 and 15 months. Check which comparisons include every assigned donor, whether or not they returned the questionnaire.

[Read the research](<https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/97098/>)

## Related Atlas tool

[Record the intention and agreed follow-up](<https://gratona.com/atlas/downloads/donor-intention-follow-up.md>)

Keep the donor’s words, permission, next check and actual gift separate, with a results sheet for an optional survey test.