Things to Consider This Week (A-E)

It's a constant struggle to provide this level of detail, and "undesignated dollars" are the desire of almost every nonprofit. But many donors want specificity. So do you need to forge a compromise that everyone in your office can live with and give your donors a clear offer?

E is for enough
Are you giving your donors enough opportunities to become loyal donors? My experience is that a first-time donor who doesn't give a second gift in 90 days will never give again. Your experience may be different, but the important thing is - do you know your organization's "point of no return"? If it's 60 or 90 days, you can't wait months to build the relationship and make another ask.

We also can forget that donors are not waking up thinking about our nonprofit and going to bed with our logo dancing in their minds. We need to thank them, tell them about a need and ask them to help meet it. Are you communicating enough to your donors so they know your needs and how they can help?

While every idea I list won't apply to your nonprofit, think about A, B, C, D and E this week. Are any of these ideas worth putting some strategic thought into? Donors are the lifeblood of our organization. Let's never give them up without a fight.