Donor Relationship Management

What Happens When Your Major Gift Officer Leaves?
October 9, 2017 at 10:34 am

Recently, one of our client managers for Veritus told me a story about one of our clients she is working with. When I heard this story, I was not shocked. Richard and I hear this kind of stuff all the time. This happens with major donors, because many nonprofits clearly have no structure in place for their major gift program...

#NPPTrendingNow Ep. 19: Should Your Organization Use Tchotchkes for Monthly Giving?
October 6, 2017 at 11:07 am

Welcome back to #NPPTrendingNow, a weekly video series where NonProfit PRO Editor-in-Chief Nhu Te breaks down the top three coveted stories of the week. Here's what we've got going on for you this week: results from the "2017 Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study," the importance of listening to your donors and using tchotchkes for monthly giving...

Guilt: It Usually Works
October 5, 2017 at 12:10 pm

Guilt as a motivator has been around a long time. It can get a donor to respond—for a while. As donors get more sophisticated and demanding, guilt becomes less and less effective. And yet, it’s a perennial favorite of nonprofits...

It's Time to Listen to Your Donors
October 2, 2017 at 12:13 pm

I was reminded about this important topic when I had a chance meeting with the wife of a friend who, when we met, launched into a five-minute tirade on how she and her husband are mistreated by the major gift officers from their favorite charities...

DIY Fundraising: What Makes Your Organization Great?
September 28, 2017 at 11:06 am

If there is one question that many nonprofits, especially smaller, younger and generally underfunded organizations forget to answer, it’s this simple question: What makes your organization great? It amazes me how many nonprofits skip right over a value proposition that explains why someone should give them any money...

Are Incentives Bad for Peer-to-Peer Fundraising?
September 27, 2017 at 2:35 pm

Let’s face it: There are a number of ways that you can reward and recognize your volunteer fundraisers—specifically when it comes to a peer-to-peer fundraising strategy. And for these fundraisers to be truly successful, they have to really believe in the organization’s mission and cause, or else why would they be volunteering?...

Employ These Corporate Cyber Security Safeguards Now: Part 1
September 26, 2017 at 11:02 am

Nonprofits aren’t immune. In fact, nonprofit organizations may be prime cyber-attack targets. Most collect and store sensitive data like emails, social security numbers, billing information and more. Despite this, nonprofits are often hesitant to make cybersecurity a priority due to the investment of time and resources...

Is Your Organization Doing What Is Best for the Donor… or the Organization?
September 25, 2017 at 11:28 am

It’s amazing to Richard and me how nonprofits—that do such great things with the programs and projects they have making the world a better place—have a total disregard for their major donors. One example of this was a story I heard from someone who quit her position as an major gift officer several years ago...

Practice Saying ‘I’m Sorry’
September 21, 2017 at 12:06 pm

For nonprofits, apologizing is effective when it addresses two quite different situations. First, admit the mistakes you make in your programs. For example, the social service program that delivered mediocre outcomes or the performing arts performance that bombed...

4 Reminders to Prevent Donors From Getting Compassion Fatigue
September 19, 2017 at 10:57 am

Given the recent string of catastrophic events, amplified by nonstop media coverage, you certainly can’t fault people for beginning to feel compassion fatigue. After making personal or workplace donations to charities helping out in Texas, the Caribbean, Florida and elsewhere, it’s understandable that donors might begin to feel worn out...