How do your donors see themselves? Do they seem in “awe” of your program staff, or thank your staff for the work they are doing when they meet them at …
Every non-profit understands the goal for its donor prospecting program: meet new people and get them to make a donation. Getting that first check is the primary purpose of everything …
I want to tell you a quick story about a donor I worked with several years ago while I was on the staff of a non-profit. This person was a …
Donor newsletters (both snail mail and e-mail) provide the foundation for many non-profits’ donor communications strategies. Newsletters help organizations build better relationships with their donors and prospects, and keep supporters …
Most non-profits spend lots of time talking to donors. They do it in person, on the phone, through letters, on websites, through social media, in newsletters and e-mails, at events …
There comes a time in every fundraiser’s career when he or she needs to ask: am I boring my donors? Do I even know if I could be boring my …
There’s an old saying in politics: “Remember to dance with the one that brung ya.” It’s poor grammar, but a good reminder that if a politician gets into office and …
Have you ever seen an ad on a website that started, “Use this one weird trick to…”? Or, have you ever seen a link or an e-mail subject line that …
For many non-profits, the process of turning new prospects into donors goes like this: We meet a potential donor, talk to them, add them to our newsletter list, invite them …
Did you ever watch WKRP in Cincinnati, the late 70’s / early 80’s sitcom? When I was young, I used to watch the show, which at that point was in …
You’re ready to sit down and produce a newsletter for your non-profit – either a snail mail newsletter or an e-mail newsletter. You want it to be a great newsletter, …
A strong donor communications program is the basis of great relationship-building for your non-profit. The newsletters, e-mails, annual reports and updates you send out to your donors will become the …
It happens to everyone, even the most seasoned fundraisers: you’re getting ready to go to a lunch meeting, to talk to a donor you have known for several years. The …
Sometimes, non-profit fundraisers treat opening the organization’s mail like playing the lottery. We know it’s highly unlikely that there’s a big check in one of those envelopes, yet we gleefully …
As fundraisers, we know that conversations are the foundation of fundraising. We are (or should be) engaged in conversations with our donors on a daily basis. We talk to our …
Every week, I get e-mails from well-meaning fundraisers talking about “them.” Sometimes, it’s a non-profit that wants to raise more money, but doesn’t want to ask their donors or board …