Fundraiser Education

To successfully retain donors, nonprofits need to invest time into cultivating and maintaining long-lasting relationships from the first donation onward. With a concrete donor-stewardship plan in place, donors will feel more valued and invested in your nonprofit. While you may understand the importance of donor stewardship, it’s not always clear how to take the best…

We go to bizarre lengths in our endless pursuit of “free." Dear fundraiser, I implore you: Rather than thinking first of economies, let your first thought always be to embrace grace and gratitude at every step of the donor cultivation process. Make gratitude a daily habit and integrate it into your life, fundraising and beyond...

Let me get this out of the way first: I’m a Jeff Brooks fan. I grew up in direct marketing with his "Fundraising is Beautiful" podcast and Future Fundraising Now blog. I’ll always remember my first blog post where I said to my wife that Jeff Brooks linked to me in the same tone of…

The subject of major gift prospecting always causes a bit of controversy anytime Jeff and I talk about it. I suppose that the reason so many pro-prospecting people get mad at us for taking a no-prospect stand is that they truly believe the illusion that “there is just someone out there that we don’t yet…

Here’s the thing about tricks, secrets, and the latest and greatest: They aren’t total frauds. There’s some truth in all the hype. Some of these actually work, at least providing immediate, if fleeting, results. They don’t move the needle, however. But there is one trick—one real secret—that works today, tomorrow and for as far as you can see...

I haven’t posted for a while, as the nonprofit sector loves to jam all its conferences right in the middle of the busiest time of year, apparently. (Why do we do that?) But after trips, conferences and discussions with people all over North America, I’m more convinced of one thing: I’m a bad marketer/fundraiser. OK,…

I talk a lot about ways to raise money and not have to ask for the gift. But, please, don’t get me wrong—there are times it’s important to make the ask. Asking for the gift is part or all of your work if you have the position of executive director; development director; major gifts, planned…

I just had the incredible honor of attending the International Fundraising Congress (IFC) in Noordwijk, Netherlands. Not only that, I had the further honor of attending as one of IFC’s scholars as part of its scholarship program. Ever since I heard about IFC, I have been dreaming about going. A conference that brings people from…

Our challenge as fundraisers is how to write to the donor in the donor’s language. Simple enough, until you are faced with someone who doesn’t accept the challenge. So we have to battle against the editor or copy approver who forgets that fundraising takes head and heart. When you find yourself in this battle, here are a few strategies I use as needed...

In everything you do, honor the donors and make it about them. There are three easy ways to do that: listening, being genuine and asking. Doing those will show donors you care about their interests and needs. And you’ll deepen relationships for your worthy cause...