Donor Relationship Management

Stop for a moment, go to a quiet place and focus on the problem your organization is dealing with. It could be homelessness, drug addiction, abuse of people or animals, the effects of humankind on the environment—whatever it is, focus on it...

Donor retention is a hot topic in the fundraising world. And it should be because retaining donors year-to-year makes your job a whole lot easier. If you are unfamiliar with this topic, then here’s a quick brief. What is donor retention? Donor retention refers to the number or percentage of donors that continue to give…

In last week’s article, I stated, “A nonprofit is not a business. But if you don’t run it like a business, you will go out of business.” A nonprofit organization differs from commercial ventures in many ways, but some important similarities exist...

Every nonprofit organization has a mission that drives and defines the good work it accomplishes on a daily basis. Communicating that mission's message in a consistent way is the charge of every individual at that nonprofit. Whether coming from the national office or one of its local affiliates, there should be little variation in that…

You don’t have to be a baseball fan to love Yogi Berra. Originator of many popular "Yogisms," including “When you come to a fork in the road, take it” and "It's déjà vu all over again,” Berra was known as much for his malapropisms as his MLB career. One of my newsletter subscribers reminded me of my favorite "Yogism" just the other day. Her organization has considered enrolling in a big-ticket, sustainable fundraising coaching program...

What donors really want to see is hope. You see, this world can feel pretty hopeless at times. There is media surrounding us that is extremely negative. Social media always is pouncing on someone’s mistakes—it can get pretty depressing. So, to be able to provide a message of hope to donors who have been supporting you is not only closing the loop on their gifts, but it’s giving them a bit of fresh air. I wonder how you are doing giving your donors hope...

Every day, your organization has numerous interactions with people across all channels. The experience of that interaction determines at least 50 percent of your supporter’s decision whether to interact with you again. So what is your organization doing to monitor and act on those experiences and ensure supporters actually support?...

If you work for an institution with donors and prospects who live in or visit other places in winter, you should consider taking your organizational show on the road to cultivate and educate them. What do I mean by that statement? When I worked at a university, we brought the university to its constituents...

The Baby Boomer cohort is entering retirement, but they’re not done leaving their marks. Boomers are set to give $8 trillion to charity, in the form of money and volunteer hours, over the next two decades, according to a Merrill Lynch study. Giving by retirees will account for half of all giving by 2025, said…

The most recent “Health and Well-Being Survey” conducted by Gallup provides alarming insight about the effectiveness of nonprofit donor-recognition efforts. Among those surveyed, 81 percent said they have donated money to a charity within the past year. In addition, 52 percent of survey respondents said they have volunteered their time during that same period. Given the high-level…