Great fundraising isn’t about you. It’s about creating careful communications that speak directly to donors, their passions and the positive change generated through their support. You know that what you do wouldn’t be possible without your donors, so you never want them to forget it...
I talk to many major gift officers, development professionals and nonprofit executives every week. Perhaps it’s the time of year, or the stage in their careers, but I’m hearing from a high percentage of them that they are burned out, stressed out and contemplating a move to do something else. Take some time and take a breath. Reflect on where you are in your work. Here are some ideas on how to avoid burnout and reduce stress...
I recently opened paperwork from a donor who left our organization a grand total of $6. That gift touched me as much as a gift many times larger. Planned giving (all giving, really) is never about the amount of funds given—it's about helping the donor attain the ultimate joy in giving. No gift amount should be too large or too small...
Like many readers, I’m sure, I made a gift to a nonprofit on #GivingTuesday. I gave online, and then I quickly received the auto-response email to acknowledge my gift. And that’s where the experience broke down. I see these kinds of auto-responses regularly. And they all have the same problem—the email accomplishes nothing significant...
There are so many educational and training resources available to nonprofit leaders and fundraisers these days, one might wonder why more organizations aren’t doing better financially. What’s easier than participating in an online webinar and taking notes? Not much. But many people miss the most important step...
One might think that evolution has little to do with consumer behavior—after all, our ancestors didn’t stop at Starbucks for a morning latte. But they carry into Starbucks the same DNA with which they ran around half-naked in the wild, millions of years ago. An understanding of evolutionary psychology can give us insight into the motivation of our supporters...
I first wrote about #GivingTuesday back in 2013, one year after its initial launch. It’s three years later, and my stance has yet to be swayed. I am not saying #GivingTuesday should go away. Its results have been successful and there’s no reason to think it won’t continue its ace track record of fantastic fundraising. But here’s what I am saying: If your nonprofit participates in #GivingTuesday, do it right...
You all know how much I love insight and data from studies. Recently, someone pointed me to the 2016 Donor Loyalty Study from Abila. There’s a lot in this document, and to really understand it you need to download the whole report. But here are some interesting elements about how donors view the content they receive from nonprofits...
Major gifts is not about the money. It's about the journey with the donor. It is finding out what the donor has an interest and passion for, and then partnering with him or her to fulfill that interest. It is the only way to go. There are four elements of every journey that apply to your major gifts efforts. Every MGO who is or will be successful will pay attention to how they treat each donor on the caseload in each of areas...
“What if, today, we were grateful for everything?” Wisdom from the great philosopher Charlie Brown. As nonprofit professionals, many focusing on fundraising, we know the importance of being genuinely grateful for donors. And we should be genuinely grateful for every relationship and every interaction. Be grateful for every opportunity that we have to build a…
