Focus On: Major Gifts: Take A Lesson from the Old School
Remember the importance of thanking your donors repeatedly. Even if they’re finding it difficult to be philanthropic in this economy, let them know you haven’t forgotten their previous support. When the tide turns, they’ll remember how much they were appreciated even when times were lean.
It’s a fact of fundraising life that people give to people; everyone knows that maxim. But it could be amended to say that people give to people who understand them, who care about them, who respect them and who reward them. If major donors are responsible for funding your organization’s mission, they deserve all that … and more.
Michael Hoffman is the vice president of customer experience at The GLD Shop, the leading online retailer of hip-hop jewelry worldwide. Previously, he was director of e-commerce and customer service at Rainbow Shops with over 17 years of experience in the retail world at top brands such as Paragon Sports, GAP Inc., and Eon Booksellers. His expertise includes strategizing and implementing omnichannel growth, new market expansion, divisional growth/reconstruction, as well as technology integration and implementation. In both his current and former roles he has overseen multiple divisions of multimillion/billion-dollar e-commerce and brick-and-mortar businesses.
