Acquisition

Are you thinking about participating in a giving day? Good news! There are so many organizations that have given it a try, and you can learn from them (the good and the bad). Look at their websites, donation landing pages, countdown clocks, emails, social media accounts, images and hashtags. Do a Google News search to…

I began my career as a fundraiser at a large nonprofit. I loved that prospective donors were familiar with the work of my organization long before I ever had a chance to talk with them. But like many other charities, almost everyone I encountered had a very strong opinion about our nonprofit. I heard everything…

The increasing trend toward globalization over the last 30 years has changed the way American interests do business. As America’s preeminent companies find themselves competing for markets and influence outside the U.S., the targets of their philanthropic efforts have also shifted...

"Make giving fun!" That’s the great advice offered by Michael Kaiser, chairman of the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland and president emeritus of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Kaiser had observed, "[Donors] don’t join our family to be whined at. ... They join because we’re inspiring…

Curated choice. I said this in a meeting with a client recently, and my boss seemed to really like the phrase. Anything she likes, I like, so I’ll say it again. Curated choice. That’s what Steve Jobs had to say about fundraising...

It takes a lot of work to get new donors. There’s planning and marketing. Some speaking gigs and media exposure. Or maybe a friend-raising event. Regardless of how you get them, you work hard to get new people into your family of supporters. So, why not spend an equal amount of time working to keep…

Perhaps the greatest fear for the fundraiser is being told "no" in response to a request for a gift. We’ve all felt it. Why? It’s not because the refusal is an indictment of the worthiness of our cause. It’s because we’ve made it personal. We’ve made it about us. Making it about us is the…

A home base is important in life. Family and friends that you trust, feel safe and grow with. This home base can give you confidence to take risks, learn new things, set higher goals and grow like you otherwise never would...

With giving totals rising, many institutions are wondering if they should continue the difficult and costly work to acquire new donors. We’ve said before that this is a dangerous proposition, a perilous “head fake” that could end up destroying your future donor pipeline. While donor acquisition is costly, does the return on boosting donor participation…

In today’s fundraising landscape, there are not many donor groups as coveted as the Millennials. Due to the lifetime value of acquiring Millennials at an early age, Millennial donors quickly have become one of the most sought-after groups among nonprofits and independent fundraisers. And these nonprofits and fundraisers have the numbers to prove it! According…