Mistakes are inevitable, how a fundraiser responds to those errors is what can really set the organization apart. Instead of spending all our time on looking for someone (anyone but me!) to blame, our first priority needs to be our donors...
For a number of years, I attempted to take up golf. I say โattemptedโ inasmuch as after three rounds of lessons and many hours invested, I never really got beyond the frustration level of competence. Itโs a great game. Youโre often in beautiful settings with the opportunity to spend time with people you like. So, why didnโt I do better?...
Some years ago, I was having dinner with a client and her husband, Bill. In the course of the meal, it came up that Bill was going to be doing a DIY event to raise money for breast cancer research, and they asked if I would consider sponsoring Bill for $100 for his eventโฆ
There is a lot of talk these days about fake news. Fake news is intentional misinformation. Falsehoods. I recall getting an email from a friend during the 2008 presidential election. The information presented was shocking, but appeared to be from a โreliableโ news source. I spent 15 minutes on Google and found that the information was completely false...
Thereโs quite a bit of noise out there in the major gift world on managementโwhat next step to take, how to approach the donor, how to frame the ask, etc. And still, with all of that information, Jeff and I find hundreds of major gift officers frustrated in their jobs...
By now, you know the tremendous power monthly donors have. You know how it can help improve your donor retention to much higher levels. We typically see monthly donor retention rates between 87 percent and 95 percentโthatโs double that of one-time donors...
I was thinking of an old friend and colleague, Henry โHankโ Rosso, recently when I was doing research on fundraising. I decided to look at Rossoโs obituary. On Feb. 1, 1999, Hank died at the age of 81 in Petaluma, Calif...
While โwinning the lotteryโ and โfind that pot of goldโ are nice strategies to dream about, there are some more practical things you can do to get a better understanding of who your donors areโand they wonโt require any more expenditure of your already stretched budget...
Digital outreach is a crucial component of how nonprofits engage with potential donors. The importance and reach of a nonprofitโs digital efforts require a dedicated professionalโor moreโto maintain them...
We are big on not attending the same professional conferences year after year. Take a break from your routine and attend a new conferenceโmaybe one outside of your nonprofit sector. This year, Iโm taking a break from AFP to attend a different conference and I plan to be back at AFP next year...