Donor Relationship Management

Don't 'Be Yourself'—Be Your Donor
June 9, 2016 at 10:38 am

Every so often, I'll read a blog post titled something like, "9 Ways to Write Better Fundraising." I love pieces like that, because I'm fascinated by what people consider "short-list" critical elements for success. And, as often as not, I learn something from those lists. The thing that dismays me is how often one of those…

9 Tips for High Net-Worth Individuals to Maximize Their Philanthropy
June 9, 2016 at 10:25 am

Starting a successful charitable organization relies on the success of one simple action: raising money to support that cause. Whether your charity only needs startup funding or your group will rely on contributions in the long-run, raising money toward a cause is a top priority. Thanks to the prominence of corporations in the media, it…

Donor Retention 101: How Well Do You Really Know Your Donors?
June 7, 2016 at 10:30 am

How well do you know your donors and their motivations for giving? Your donor thank-you letters are only the first step in your donor retention plan. If you’re looking to create sustainable funding, you need to develop a plan for understanding your donors and their motivations on a deeper level...

The Simple Fundraising Recipe That Works for Every Nonprofit
June 7, 2016 at 9:18 am

Good recipes are road maps to desired outcomes. Do you want to eat a homemade load of bread? Follow these 10 steps, and you’ll have one in a couple of hours. Recipes can be easy or hard. They can take practice and require tinkering. But once someone develops a good recipe, anyone should be able…

Do People Want to Listen to You? And Are You Listening to Them?
June 2, 2016 at 10:29 am

If the way forward for fundraising is not how to get money out of me, the donor, but how to inspire me to tell the organization's story and engage my network, then we, as fundraisers, should really be after those "opt-ins." And if someone is feeling so annoyed by charities contacting them that they want…

'Maybe I Just Don’t Like What You’re Saying'
June 2, 2016 at 10:15 am

In 21st century fundraising, the landscape is filled with potential for greatness. Not that many decades ago, fundraisers relied on direct mail and face-to-face fundraising. Now we have multiple ways to talk to people, meeting them in their mailboxes, inboxes and mobile devices; on their cause-related shampoo bottle, the radio and billboards; through an app; and the list goes on and on.

What 'Game of Thrones' Can Teach You About Donor Communications
June 1, 2016 at 9:00 am

"Game of Thrones" is back for its sixth season, much to the delight of fans of the show that has garnered the most illegal downloads in television history. For a show that tells the story of a fantasy world where dragons, ice-zombies and baby-spirit-murderers run rampant, it still does a pretty great job of threading…

How the Power of Money Can Bless the Donor
May 31, 2016 at 10:31 am

The fun thing about working in major gifts is that you have an opportunity to loosen money’s hold on people by encouraging them to give it away. When people give away their money, they short-circuit its negative influence. As a major-gift fundraiser, you perform a powerful and unique service to donors...

The No. 1 Mistake Fundraisers Make When Collecting Stories
May 27, 2016 at 10:02 am

Collecting stories consistently is ranked as the No. 1 storytelling challenge that fundraisers face in the surveys and research that I conduct. This fact was clear in the 2015 research project I did with Network For Good, called The State of Storytelling. Perhaps you can relate to this challenge, too. In my own experience, there…

What Do You Mean When You Say ‘Donor-Centric’?
May 27, 2016 at 9:56 am

Do you recognize this donor? She’s been on your house file for three-and-a-half years now. You know exactly how old she is, where she lives and the channel she was recruited on. And, of course, you know how she gives and how much. But do you know why she gives?...