Before this crisis, I would have told any fundraiser the best way to build a meaningful relationship with your donor is to be meaningful to them. Fast forward to today. We’re in a global pandemic. It’s terrifying, sure. There is a silver lining though (says the town crier for donor [...]
You know when you’re on an airplane and they run through the safety instructions? What do they tell you to do if you’re with small children and the oxygen masks come down? Put on your own mask first! You can’t help others unless you first take care of yourself. This [...]
What about counting the ways for your donors this year? Or at least for a subset of your donors who have the potential to give you the lion’s share of your philanthropy? We talk a lot in the sector about donor love and gratitude, but how do we practice it? [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Current donors are warm leads. When a donor has given to you once, you at least know they have some sort of linkage, interest or connection to what you do. They’re not with you for the long term yet, but getting them to give again isn’t like making a “cold [...]
With calendar year-end giving time right around the corner, most nonprofits are gearing up for the major push to bring in year-end donations. If that’s where you are at this point, you may be wondering how you’ll ever pull it off. The following three-step strategy will help you build a [...]
Alfie Kohn, the awesome education and parenting expert says this over and over as a sort of golden rule of parenting. I would argue that it’s great advice for any person in any relationship, but especially for fundraisers looking to connect with donors. When you’re talking, you’re focused on yourself, [...]
I’ve been preaching for 25 years about the importance of service quality in building donor loyalty. No, not the quality of service that your charity provides to its beneficiaries, but the quality of service that the fundraising team provides to its donors. Increasing donor satisfaction with that can massively pump [...]
Ever wonder what your donors are thinking? Sometimes, we slip into a mindset of “them and us.” Where we’re the insiders who work and donors are the outsiders who give. And while both are important, they must be different, right? Maybe not so much. And your fundraising success may depend [...]
My friend hates the word ‘donor.’ She isn’t a fundraiser...No, she’s a real person in the real world. And when she gets letters asking her to become a donor her mind strays to giving blood or donating her kidney. This blew my mind...how can the word ‘donor’...so ingrained in my [...]