Donor Relationship Management

I enjoy snorkeling because I love to see reefs and beautiful fish. While snorkeling is possible in almost any body of water, most snorkelers prefer areas with minimal waves, warm water and shallow reefs. The deeper the water is, the darker the water is, and the more unknowns that exist. Perhaps surprisingly, snorkeling and donor relationships can have common characteristics...

Last week, I served my mandatory "American privilege," aka jury duty. I know all the arguments for why it’s a wonderful right we have in this country and how it allows us to experience in grassroots democracy in action. But it was a miserable day...

One of our team-guiding principles is to approach each opportunity and project with a sense of urgency. Early in my career, I interviewed for a few positions. After each interview, I waited for the call. Well, to be honest I waited on the call the next day. After all, who would not want to hire me? It was my major focus...

Collecting—whether business cards, followers on Twitter, "likes" on Facebook or first-time donors—is meaningless without a strategy to turn those relatively blank connections into meaningful, lasting relationships. If your marketing and/or fundraising strategy is based on collecting and counting, it’s time to rethink this strategy...

Why do your donors give? It’s not because of your awesome mission or the 1,723 kids you served last year. It is, in all simplicity, because of what they are doing through you. Your donors are changing the world! But so many nonprofit organizations miss the mark...

In 1993, four respected organizations worked closely together to publish a list of 10 “rights” intended to establish a stronger relationship between philanthropists and their nonprofit beneficiaries. However, 23 years ago the world was vastly different—as was the world of philanthropy. Because of far-reaching changes that have taken place since then, the "Donor Bill of…

Fundraising involves a lot of asks. But not every ask needs to be a big one. The reality is, timed and designed right, tiny asks can reap big rewards for your development efforts. In fact, I think they’re actually one of the best kept secrets of successful donor retention. There are, essentially, two types of…

Congratulations, you’ve got a new email subscriber who’s interested in your cause and impact. Now’s the time to introduce the individual to your nonprofit with an email welcome series. You get just one chance to make a first impression! Dumping a subscriber into your list with no explanation or recognition can be jarring or, worse,…

As Garth Stein's "The Art of Racing in the Rain" opens, Enzo, the canine narrator, tells a story that will make you laugh, make you cry and make you laugh again. And we’re left with no doubt that Enzo would be as remarkable a human as he was a dog. And that he’d be one heck of a good fundraiser...

Gift cards used as recognition are like wiregrass in my fescue, like a dog’s butt on my favorite pillow, like white zinfandel being the only wine served. There is so much wrong with using gift cards as recognition, and actually as gifts in any regard, that it’s hard to even know where to start chewing on the issue. I always have known it was wrong...