A welcome series is a scheduled set of emails. For example, in your first email, acknowledge the donor’s first-ever donation and introduce your organization. In later emails, include impact reports, organizational highlights, and success stories about how donations help your mission. Offer ways to get involved, such as volunteer opportunities, events, and memberships.
Automate & Save Time
To send a welcome series, create an automation and let Bloomerang CRM do the work for you.
How It Works
Use Journey Automation to create a First Ever Donation automation. Donors automatically enter this automation if they:
Are active individual constituents
Make their first-ever donation after you publish the automation. The first-ever donation is the first donation on the constituent’s timeline.
What is a first-ever donation?
The first-ever donation can be a one-time donation, soft credit on a one-time donation paid within the last 30 days, in-kind donation of $0, pledge payment, recurring donation payment, or a membership payment.
When you create this type of automation, you select the First Ever Donation entry source. This entry source has built-in rules and optional filters that define how the automation works. Read more about the First Ever Donation entry source.
Tip: You can create multiple First Ever Donation automations. For example, create separate automations based on the donation amount to personalize messaging for major donors and other segments.
Before You Begin
Review emails that you currently send to donors, such as confirmation emails and online payment confirmation receipts. For each email, make sure the purpose type is Receipt, not Acknowledgement.
If you currently use scheduled emails to acknowledge donors, plan how automations will replace those emails.
If your automation will include emails other than an acknowledgment, decide which email interests and email purposes to use for those emails.
(Recommended, but optional) To save time, create a First Ever Donation template at Communications > Emails before you create the automation and emails.
Create a Welcome Series for First-Time Donors
To create a welcome series, you can:
Start quickly: Edit the example First Ever Donation automation. This draft appears if your organization has never created a draft First Ever Donation automation. A guide also appears that walks you through how to set up a First-Time Donor Welcome and Retention Journey automation. You can follow the guide or set up the automation how you’d like.
Start from scratch: Create a First Ever Donation automation from scratch.
Tip: This article explains how to create a multi-step automation, but you can also create a single-step automation that sends just one acknowledgment email.
To create a welcome series:
Click Communications.
Click Journey Automation.
Do one of the following:
To start quickly:
In the Donor Lifecycle > Current Donor Automations section, click the First-Time Donor Welcome and Retention Journey draft automation. If you don’t see this draft automation, go to Step 3b to start from scratch.
Click the three vertical dots and then click Edit.
To start from scratch:
Click New Automation.
Name your automation and click Save.
In the settings for that automation, click Choose an Entry Source.
In the Donor Lifecycle > Current Donors section, select First Ever Donation.
(Optional) Select filters that refine who enters the automation:
To filter by amount — Select Any Amount, More Than or Equal To, Less Than or Equal To, or In Between. Then, enter an amount.
To filter by funds, campaigns, and appeals — Select any funds, campaigns, and appeals.
Donors enter the automation if their donation matches at least one selection in each category. If you don’t make selections in a category, the donation can match any in that category.
Click Save.
To edit the entry source before you publish the automation, click the three vertical dots and then click Edit.
Add Steps to Your Automation
Next, one or more steps to your automation. At least one step must be an action. For example:
Add an email action for each email in a series.
Add a time delay before each email action to control when Bloomerang sends each email.
Assign task actions to remind a staff member to contact the constituent.
Assign a relationship manager.
To add steps:
Click Add Step
.In the Actions section, click Send Email.
To use an existing template to create your email:
Click Select Email Template.
Click Continue.
Select a Bloomerang template or a saved custom template.
Enter a name for the email.
Click Next.
To copy an existing email:
Click Copy Email.
(Optional) To view the email type and purpose, and who last modified the email, click the down arrow next to the email.
Select an email to copy.
Click Continue.
From the Type list, select Constituent or Transaction.
To save and finish setting up your automation, Click Save And and select Go to Journey Automation. The email is now part of your draft automation.
To edit the email before you publish the automation, click the three vertical dots and select Edit.
To add more emails, repeat these steps.
To add a time delay between emails, click Add Step and then click Time Delay. Read about how to do this.
(Optional) To assign a task to someone in your organization, click Add Step and then click Task Action. Read about how to do this.
(Optional) To assign a relationship manager, click Add Step and then click Assign Relationship Manager. Read about how to do this.
Test the Automation
You can send test emails from an automation before you publish it. This is an optional step, but we recommend it.
Publish the Automation
When you’re ready for donors to enter the automation, click Publish.
If you have multiple automations for the First Ever Donation entry source, you must order the automations by priority before you publish. Read how to prioritize and publish automations.
Next Steps: Manage Automations
After you create and publish an automation, you can monitor participation, manage automations, view emails sent by automations, and view tasks assigned by automations. Read Manage Automations.
Example Welcome Series
In this example, you create a welcome series automation personalized for major donors. The automation has an entry source with these settings:
Entry source: First Ever Donation
Entry source filter: Amount is more than or equal to $1,000
The automation has these steps:
Automation Step | Description |
Email action | Email a donation acknowledgement personalized for major donors who just made their first-ever donation. Welcome the new donor to your family and show the immediate impact of their donation.
Arrives: One day after the initial donation (because of the 24-hour hold) |
Task action | Assign a task to Anne Smith to call the major donor, email a mobile video acknowledgement, or send a handwritten note within three days.
Happens: A few days after the donation |
Time delay | Wait 30 more days |
Email action | Email an impact report that tells the donor what their gift accomplished.
Arrives: One month after the initial donation |
Time delay | Wait 60 more days |
Email action | Email another impact report that tells the donor what their gift accomplished. Include success stories.
Arrives: Three months after the initial donation |
Time delay | Wait 90 more days |
Email action | Email a list of your organization's highlights and information about donor community building.
Arrives: Six months after the initial donation |
Time delay | Wait 90 more days |
Email action | Email a pre-solicitation cultivation email that highlights your organization's current needs.
Arrives: Nine months after the initial donation |
Time delay | Wait 45 more days |
Task action | Assign a task to Anne Smith to call or set up a meeting with the donor to personally solicit the donor for a renewal. Send a follow-up email if the donor doesn't respond.
Happens: About ten months after the initial donation |
Time delay | Wait 7 days |
Task action | Assign a task to Anne Smith to send a follow-up email if the donor doesn't respond. |