Donor Relationship Management

Good customer service is not always something we talk about in the nonprofit sector. As a sector, we often veil the concept in euphemisms, like “donor-centric fundraising” or “quality case-management.” Industry slang aside, the concepts of good customer service are the foundation of any good organization...

Are you confusing your donors with a bureaucratic category that makes no sense and doesn't matter to them? You might be if you're raising funds under the flag of the foundation that's the fundraising arm of your main organization. There are plenty of reasons to organize yourself this way. But none of them are important…

When you meet someone and they ask what your nonprofit does, what do you say? If you’re like most people, it sounds something like this: “We’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing rescue services to at-risk populations in blah, blah, jargon, jargon, acronym, acronym, blah, blah.” Boring. Your listener tuned out about two seconds in. Being able…

I had a light bulb moment that made me do one of the smartest things I’ve ever done and something that I continue to do 16 years later. You see, I knew that the heart and soul of my fundraising plan would be to learn what our donors’ motivations were. So, after querying our database for 20 loyal donors who had given more than $250 a year during the past five years, I wrote a letter of introduction asking why they had supported the organization...

Is donor-centricity a crock? There was an interesting discussion at The Agitator last month. (I think it began with "Who Gets Fired?" but I can’t promise I’m right. The conversation continued over days because it’s important.) It raised a question: Who’s to blame for lousy fundraising? Development staff, executive directors, consultants—we ran through the gamut.…

It isn’t necessarily your organization’s mission that matters most to ultra-wealthy donors. Some data sets are worth going over twice and making a video about them so that they sink in. This week’s Fast Facts video is one of those data sets. After all, what organization couldn’t benefit from better understanding what factors inform and…

Recently, I attended an activity for volunteers. The purpose of the event was for our volunteers to help stuff backpacks for needy children. The smiles and response following this hands-on event proved to me that this type of activity is vitally important. It is all about building relationships...

Someone has come to your site. He or she has downloaded your eight-point plan or a white paper, taken an advocacy alert and looked at your infographic. Now what? When we think about donors, it’s often with our fundraising glasses on, thinking, "how do I get this person to donate?" One of the underrated aspects…

Donor loyalty. Sometimes it seems as if it has gone the way of the dinosaurs. We talk about it, write about it, hold meetings about it and strategize for it, but it’s still missing from many nonprofit supporter lists. Donors are acquired and then they attrite. It’s just the reality we live with...

Donor-centered fundraising has been a constant all my fundraising life. Over time, it’s become a nebulous sort of construct, and that might be where some of the confusion comes from. But to me, donor-centricity always has meant embracing your donors like the valuable friends and partners that they are...