I was watching the evening news the other night, and was taken with a story about a cute nine-year-old boy who went to the city council in his little town of Severance, Colorado. He was there to ask them to abolish the town’s 100-year-old ordinance that banned snowball fights. The [...]
As expectations increase for more sophisticated development strategies and tactics that win and keep donors engaged with organizations, donor data plays an increasingly influential role in the nonprofit landscape. The good news is that most nonprofits already have excellent record-keeping practices in place thanks to the integration of CRM and [...]
I often find myself getting called in to nonprofits where everybody is unhappy with the CRM. And I mean everybody. From the gift processors to the Executive Director, no one has a good thing to say about it. It’s not intuitive It’s hard to navigate It’s impossible to get data [...]
Everyone wants new donors, right? So how do you get them? Bottom line: gifts are the result of effective engagement. The fantasy of finding rich strangers we can lure into giving generously to our cause is seductive and tempting. In reality, paying to interrupt complete strangers with an uninvited ask [...]
Prospect research is difficult. Asking for upgrades, major gifts and bequests is something that every fundraiser wants to do. But identifying the best supporters in your lists for those types of asks can be an even bigger challenge than the ask itself. Oftentimes we look only to the wealthy. But [...]
There's little argument that long-term, loyal donors are your best prospects for things like major gifts and planned gifts. Monthly donors, active volunteers, current and former service recipients, and the securely retired (especially the childless and empty-nesters) are also great prospects. But who else might be lurking in your donor [...]
For the typical nonprofit, the majority of individual donors will send in their money during the fourth quarter of the year. That means we're quickly approaching the time when you need to have your database and procedures in place for the giving season. Use the slower period between June and [...]
Since I have the good fortune of working with and traveling to see thousands of fundraisers every year, I often get asked the question: “What's the best thing we can do to improve our fundraising results this year?” The answer I give is usually received with surprise. Perhaps they are [...]
Not too long ago, I helped a client assess the success of his year-end appeal. He had sent a letter – the same letter – to all 15,000 names in his database. […]
One of the most popular metaphors for the donor retention issue is a leaky bucket. And with good reason. We spend a lot of time and effort acquiring new donors, only for 40% or more on average to never give again. We’re caught in an endless cycle of refilling the [...]
Great storytelling starts with knowing who you are talking to. […]
The most important fundraising tool you have at your disposal is your donor database. It is your organization’s history. It can tell you who your friends and most loyal supporters are. Through thick and thin it sticks with us and makes it possible for us to be effective fundraisers. It [...]