If you have followed my blog posts through the years, you will quickly realize that I am a very proud West Virginian. I love my home state and city of Charleston. While my head rests in Indiana, my heart rests in West Virginia. The people do not have a great deal to give, but will gladly give the shirt off their back to those in need...
Who are my donors, and how have they engaged in the past? Most will answer this question in one of two ways. First, by quoting recency, frequency, monetary segments, complete with highest previous contribution and timing of the most recent gift. Second, by describing donor demographics/wealth with off-the-shelf segments or with their homegrown analysis...
It seems these days that marketers, strategists, analysts and sales people are hungry to throw around terms, such as Big Data, Business Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence, like a pack of dogs at the back door of a meat market. And, I have a confession to make: I’m a marketing professional also guilty of using these terms...
We often hear it called “peer-to-peer,” “crowdfunding” and a few other things. Social fundraising is definitely being talked about in both the nonprofit and direct giving space a lot these days. But as I read through post after post, a thought occurred to me: What if everyone is sort of “missing it” with social fundraising? There seems to be something larger here that nobody is really talking about...
Once you get over your misconceptions that rich people are so different and that they won’t want to talk with you, you’ll find that if you share common interests, you can bridge the wealth gap and build a relationship that may well lead to a gift...
You’ve heard of the term, “solo player.” It refers most often in a sales environment to someone who does everything alone and won’t include others in the work. In most cases they are not very successful. In fact, we see a tremendous amount of burnout from this type of MGO...
There’s never a bad time to convert your constituents to give monthly, but there are two months a year that typically fit better in your overall communication plan: January and September. “Why September?” you may ask. Because, it’s typically slower with events. Donors are back home, back to school, back to work and in their “routine.” It’s not yet busy with Thanksgiving and holiday preparations…
Lest we assign blame to organizational leaders, we must understand that fundraisers are often quick to sign on with new employers who reveal all the signs of unreasonable expectations. Most fundraising professionals I know want to be admired for their abilities to turn things around and make things happen...
We all like to do it. It’s enjoyable, it’s free and, except for our time, it involves no commitment. When the clerk asks us if they can help us, how often do we answer, “Just looking?” I dare say we’ve often given that answer when we are actually looking for something specific, but aren’t yet ready to commit. Then again, there are many times when we’re merely “killing time...
This week’s solar eclipse was heavily anticipated and highly celebrated. About 16 percent of the U.S. was able to experience a total eclipse, including Nashville. Here in Nashville, hotels were sold out as visitors came to view the eclipse, and there were plenty of viewing parties and events as everyone geared up for the magical experience...
