Never assume systems are working. Always check and check again. Mistakes creep in and software glitches show up for no reason known to us non-technical types, so always validate your systems to be sure they are doing what you expect them to do.
In her January 2011 DM Diagnosis article, "Baby, Come Back," fundraising copywriter and creative director Kimberly Seville shared what happened when she deliberately became a lapsed donor.
This is your optimal time to have your strategic list of what you need to accomplish in hand and to check it twice — actually at least twice a week — because it is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of the holiday spirit.
If you can't even get the person's name or last gift right, how on earth do you expect a donor to believe you will use his or her donations effectively?
What do you do when a donor just stops responding to the mail? Here's a suggestion: Take a look at telemarketing.
Your two top priorities for your year-end fundraising this year should be to get last year's donors to renew their gifts and get your lapsed donors back into the fold with a renewed gift.
Three fundraising professionals shared 30 ideas for fundraising success at Fund Raising Day in New York. Here are ideas 21-30.
Three fundraising professionals shared 30 ideas for fundraising success at Fund Raising Day in New York. Here are ideas 1-10.
Most donors don’t set out to lapse. In fact, many don’t know they have lapsed. Some stopped giving because their income changed, they have new interests or you unintentionally irked them. But others will give again (and again) if you help them remember what made them support you in the first place.
Writer-for-hire Rick Grant takes on a lapsed-donor case.
