A Blast From the Past: The Enlightened Path for Fundraisers (November 2007)

FundRaising Success published its first issue in November 2003, which makes this our 10-year anniversary year. To celebrate, we'll be taking a look back at past issues throughout the year.

Donors are changing. They’re asking for more involvement with the charities they support. They need to know and feel their giving makes a difference. They want more information and more connection.

The tried-and-true ways we’ve used to interact with donors must change if we want to meet and serve the new donors. Here are some ways enlightened nonprofits can change in the coming years:

The Old Way: Nonprofits harvest gifts from donors.
The Enlightened Way: Nonprofits cultivate relationships with donors.
Think of donors as people you get to know, not just assets you own. Asking for gifts is just one reason to communicate with donors. You also can encourage them to talk back to you — about what they care about and how they want to be treated. You also should be reporting back to donors about the impact of their giving.

Ultimately, if you really want to engage with donors at a meaningful level, you’ll develop personalized, custom-tailored communications based on donor preferences and behavior.

Click here to read the full article.