Everyone has that one wonderful friend or relative that you only hear from when they need something. And usually it’s money. Don’t let your nonprofit be that friend or relative! Donor cultivation events, fundraising campaigns, appeals and special events are all highly effective tactical components of a comprehensive fundraising strategy. [...]
When donors make a year-end philanthropic gift they feel joyful. Seriously, MRI-based research has found when people give, or even contemplate giving, to others their brains light up. In a super good way. They receive a ‘feel good’ shot of dopamine that goes straight to the brain’s pleasure center – [...]
Stop colluding with your donors in the art of procrastination. Give to donors now. If you wait to be a giving friend, they’ll do the same. You don’t want donors who’ve just given to you to wait until next year at this time to give to you again. Do you? [...]
A few weeks ago I was chatting with some non-profit industry peers. They were discussing their organizations’ donor journeys. A lot of similar terms came up through the conversation. Donor funnel. Donor pyramid. Donor staircase. Most of us hear these terms over and over. Many of us use them. No [...]
A donor-centric culture is the essence of a highly effective nonprofit organization, driving its operations and fundraising. Donor-centricity is more than an industry buzzword, it’s a way of being, a way of operating. But what exactly is a donor-centric culture and how can your organization develop it? Simply stated, a [...]
How should you communicate with donors? Passionately! But I want you to think about this word from TWO perspectives: Your donor’s passions Your passions You see, even the most heartfelt fundraising appeal from you is not going to yield results if you send it to someone who doesn’t much care [...]
People don’t give because it’s the end of the year. They give because you provide them with an emotional reason to donate. Year-end may merely predispose folks to give at this time. And I say may because: Some folks are predisposed to think about their blessings during the holidays occurring [...]
Email solicitations continue to be effective, accounting for 28% of all online revenue (Nonprofits Source). However, the average office worker receives over 120 emails per day (The Radicadi Group), so how do you cut through the clutter? As a former development team member myself, I’m much more critical of solicitations [...]
My husband and I recently returned from an amazing trip to Ireland. Along with a group of 22 friends, we traveled near Galway through 8 small towns in 8 days — all on bikes. The scenery was breathtaking and the Irish people were completely charming. We averaged 30 miles a [...]
I’m here with some truth bombs. “The season to give is not a reason to give.” Want the #1 way to ensure your donors give and give generously to your cause this holiday season? Tell them now what kind of impact their most recent gift had. Tell them even if [...]
Imagine this scenario: Your organization received a donation from a donor once or twice but have not received anything this year. Some nonprofit professionals may say well that donor is gone, time to find a new one. WRONG! Studies show that it costs less to retain, or re-engage, a lapsed [...]
Our own Steven Shattuck recently joined our good friend Jeff Jowdy on his Beacon Podcast to discuss creative ways nonprofits can engage with donors. You can listen to the full conversation here. Be sure to check out previous episodes of The Beacon Podcast here >> Full Transcript: Announcer: Welcome to [...]