Do You Need a Post-recession Turnaround?

Here are a few more popular moves that will not help:

• Hiring a new marketing director from the commercial world who's unencumbered with fundraising knowledge.
• Nicer headquarters.
• A socia-media campaign.
• A smartphone app, QR codes or mobile giving.

None of these things are going to do it for you. Instead, try things like these:

• A website that's easy to navigate and has a robust and simple online-giving back end.
• A detailed fundraising plan, so you know what you're saying to whom, when and in what media a year in advance.
• A fanatical focus on serving donors.
• Making sure things like your state registrations, IRS filings and postal permits are always accurate and up to date.
• Prompt, error-free caging of donor gifts, with fast and accurate receipting.

See the pattern? If you need a turnaround, the glamorous things aren't for you. You'll be lucky if the glamour moves don't end up destroying you. Your turnaround will come from a focus on the basics. Yes, that's boring. But 
the boring stuff is what makes the difference. FS