4 Things I Know About Fundraising

Our job as fundraisers is to keep donors interested. Some do this with premiums and freemiums. Others use celebrity endorsers or online videos. Others focus on telling compelling stories and sharing results. Whatever you do, keep your fundraising fresh and captivating. Bored donors are often former donors.

4. You have to spend money to raise money. Yes, I have said that before in this blog. I'm not forgetful; rather, I keep hearing and seeing examples from nonprofits of income disaster when cheap or (even better) free fundraising becomes the mainstay of the program. People aren't waking up in the morning with thoughts of your nonprofit front and center in their minds and a desire to check out your website. As fundraisers, we have to constantly cultivate our donors, reminding them what we do, why we can do it so much better than anyone else and how hard we'll work to use their contributions to make it happen.

If you aren't telling your story to your donors on a regular basis, beware. Another nonprofit's story may be filling the void that you have left in the name of "saving money." Spend wisely, but never neglect your donors if you don't want them to neglect you.

This old dog loves all the ways we have to fundraise in the 21^st century. But they all come with a cost—both in terms of expense and in terms of lost income. Look at your donors' behavior; that's the best guide for your fundraising.