Donor Relationship Management

Silos are death. The more we learn about what works in fundraising today, the more we’re encouraged to focus on the donor’s journey or experience. Customer service—something that has always been important—is suddenly getting more notice. That’s a really good thing. One thing guaranteed to hurt customer service is when internal staff and systems aren’t…

If you’re stuck trying to figure out a special way to show appreciation to your donors, how about having an open house at your organization? If you can’t hold one on site, have it at a restaurant or other venue. You may be able to find someone to donate space. Invite other supporters, too You…

Summer is vacation time. You and other members of your staff may have a fun vacation planned. I recently came back from a wonderful trip to Spain. Even though this might be a slower time, don’t hold back on your donor communication. Yes, your donors also are taking vacations, but they still want to hear…

After decades together, I learned my husband didn’t like pineapple. It was shocking, really, that I’d missed something like that. Do you feel like that about your donors, too? What clues might you have been missing? A successful fundraiser is a detective. The best retailers have created entire business models around getting to know their…

Nonprofit leaders have a valuable resource hidden in plain sight. It's their board members. Your board is not just for fundraising or decision-making. Its relationship capital is worth a lot more. It can help meet many of your organization's needs. Combine the connections your board members have built over their careers with the right opportunities,…

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 frequency of giving from a pair of donors, two elderly sisters living together near Seattle, surprised me. The donor relationship had started as a one-time gift in response to a television show we had produced. It then segued into a monthly pledge, which increased over time. In the midst of all that regular giving, there were other one-time gifts, some $100, others $500...

I’m seeing a trend in what I call “fact-sharing,” instead of sharing a story. To illustrate what I mean, I’ve got a some short audio clips to share with you. Listen and hear the difference between sharing facts and sharing words that cause people to feel something. Anything. What you cause others to feel isn’t…

Would you write to your mother like that? Open your last appeal, newsletter or email. Now read it out loud. Does it sound funny? Does it sound like you? If so, congratulations—you’re a step ahead of many. If not, let’s talk about what you can do to fix that. Good donor communications are not corporate…

If anything, working from the underground up taught me to concentrate on what really matters, because, frankly, I didn’t have time for the stuff that didn’t. I trimmed off all of the extraneous stuff so that I could maintain a laser-like focus when it came to working the key areas that eventually would grow my business to what it is today...