Donor Relationship Management

Letting go… It’s not always easy, is it? Anyone who has had to take their child to college or end a relationship knows saying goodbye is never easy. It’s also not easy for you as a major gift officer (MGO) when a donor, who you have been stewarding and cultivating over time, no longer meets the criteria as a major donor...

In this post-truth age, anyone who pretends they’re listening when they’re not may well be among the most under-informed, misguided and misled folks of all. It’s shocking to realize that people who’ve been nodding vigorously in agreement with you for decades may just have been humoring you all along, may have had little or no intention of actually doing what you thought they were so very enthusiastic about...

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...

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...

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. And given the dreadful state of donor retention in the U.S. today […]

There is one important thing everyone involved in the process of creating a fundraising appeal has to remember: You are not the target audience. What you think or feel doesn’t matter. What matters is what the person being asked to make a donation thinks and feels...

Are we simply letting our programs happen without a clear path to achieving our highest and most important goals? As a fundraiser, your ultimate goal should be to build sustainable funding that supports your organization’s mission. Have you instead been focusing your time and energy on the revolving door of acquiring new givers?...

Have you hit anyone up this week? Have you twisted arms? Have you called in the big guns to help you lean on your best targets? Do those words make you cringe? I sure hope so. Because if they don’t, then you’ve got some serious work to do to reshape the way you think about fundraising...