Acquisition

Direct mail dates back to 1,000 B.C. when an Egyptian landowner advertised a gold reward for the return of one his slaves—all finely scripted on a piece of papyrus. For a marketing strategy that ancient, you would think direct mail’s days might be numbered, right? Think again...

When fundraisers ask me this, the answer is: no better time like the present! And, you should be asking all the time! The more you ask, the more monthly donors you’ll generate...

A transformation of sorts has occurred over the last 20 years in regard to donors’ expectations of nonprofits. In years past, donors were generally satisfied with the act of giving itself, relying on little more than the assurances of the nonprofit beneficiary of their donation that their funds were being put...

When we seek to get the attention of a philanthropist to give to our cause, how do we go about it? The approach you choose will materially affect your level of success and has everything to do with how you view your donors...

I once had a great mentor who would regularly share hard truths on me. Once, for instance, when I was dating the wrong guy, he told me that it was like I’d “lost the steering to my own damn car.” He was right. Well, I think we sometimes need that kind of tough love in the nonprofit sector, too. How are you steering your fundraising program for success?...

Last week the New York Times published an article titled, “How to Get the Wealthy to Donate.” The piece began with the statement, “Wealthy people are selfish jerks. So are their children.” The article chronicled research that looked at the differences in charitable giving based on net worth. The conclusion of the research studies was clear, “Across a wide range of ages, wealthy adults tended to share less of what they had with others...

These days, it’s simply not enough to want to make a difference. More recently, donors are more and more interested in finding out how their contribution to a charity influences its overall success. And who could blame them? The nonprofit sector is growing at a rapid pace, with over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations to-date...

As an agency that specializes in helping nonprofit organizations develop their brands, we often get calls from marketing managers or development directors who want to improve how their organizations communicate. It’s natural that they are the ones who reach out to us or are the ones we are put in touch with by a referral source. However, in our initial conversations with them, I ask who will be making the decision about the organization’s brand elements—such as the logo or website—and often I hear, “I will...

Ever notice how sometimes when we put on our work hats we cease to be human? How we somehow morph into little robotic “professionals” and become enamored of jargon? “Lybnts.” “Sybnts.” “Recaptures.” Not that those things aren’t important. You need goals and objectives...

What’s the monthly donor experience when he or she fills in the online donation form and clicks the button to submit? In virtually all online donation platforms, it’s a two-step process. The minute the donor hits submit, he or she gets an auto-responder message, confirming that wonderful monthly gift...