Avoiding Potholes

The challenge is that donors, board members and staff aren’t shy about stating opinions, and that sometimes leads to overreaction. As I see it, the real problem is that frequently, a nonprofit insists on a less aggressive contact schedule, only to drop in “just one more” on a whim. “Isn’t this cool? We could do this, too …” is not a good reason to communicate with your donors. Instead, do you have something to say that donors need to hear? Keep your schedule flexible enough to make a last-minute change — but make sure it’s really worth doing.

Avoid 'us, too!'
One of the things I remember my dad saying when I was growing up in Chicago is, “Just because everyone else is jumping in Lake Michigan, should you jump in Lake Michigan?” (Sound familiar?!) As a kid, my response (usually unspoken) wasn’t always what my dad was after. But as I’ve grown older (and a bit wiser, I hope), I keep seeing examples of fundraising that seems to be based solely on a desire to “jump in” just because a lot of other nonprofits (usually larger) already have.