Third, ask yourself if all your communications to your donors are carrying their weight. If your donors don't expect something interesting and informative every time they open a letter, email, newsletter or any other communication from you, they may stop bothering. There are no "casual" communications with a donor. Each one is building a relationship that can lead to donations or trigger a relationship rift that can't be overcome.
Be your own worst critic
This old dog knows how easy it is to "fall in love" with what I write or a strategy I develop. It's painful to tear apart my own words or admit that something I birthed just doesn't work. But there is too much competition for my donor's attention and dollars to make fundraising a narcissistic exercise. Who is your competition, and what are your competitors doing — and how are you going to rise above that and get you message across?
That's every fundraiser's challenge — at year-end and all year long.
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- Creative
- Direct Response
- Retention
Pamela Barden is an independent fundraising consultant focused on direct response. You can read more of her fundraising columns here.