Donor Relationship Management

This week I was visiting with a great mentor—an incredible philanthropist, board member and fundraiser. We are both fans of a friend who recently left a university where the president did not allow anyone else to engage with its top donors and prospective donors...

In all the recent media stories covering what’s wrong with charity fundraising, one thing that’s not getting enough airtime is what an amazing and life-enhancing experience giving can be. This gives us a huge opportunity—but may well require quite a shift in how we work. From what I see, giving helps us to express our…

Let's talk about passion, specifically, what it means for nonprofits and their online relationships. When you consider your organization’s online community, you may think of your social-media groups. For a long time, there has been a push to develop as many relationships as possible...

Last week, I wrote about mid-level donors, and what we’re doing wrong with them. Mid-level donors are neglected, uninspired and disengaged. Why? Because we’re making assumptions about them. We’re assuming they want to be treated like a major donor—in-person meetings, more targeted asks and more information to inspire their giving because they see their gifts…

Like many of us in the nonprofit industry, long ago, I had the misfortune to work as a development associate for a charity rife with dysfunction. For the sake of this article, let’s just refer to it as a nonprofit serving young people. I’m not in the business…

I have known for many years that nonprofit professionals are in a net-revenue results business. Besides treasure, we always are looking for time and talent. There is constant pressure to perform and achieve goals. Besides the obvious job-performance factors, we do engage with many interesting people. Our donors and prospects can provide moments in our lives that we relish...

Fundraisers don’t usually think of themselves as sexy. Yet, most of the world does. When someone to whom I have just been introduced asks "What do you do?," I’m always a bit surprised by the reaction to my answer. "What a cool profession" "Wow, you really get to hobnob with the wealthy." These are typical responses...

Taking steps to reduce your donor attrition actually is the least expensive strategy for increasing your fundraising income. In fact, if you’re looking to save money on your fundraising costs, focusing on retention is the smart thing to do. What are you doing to reach out and touch your donors—you know, those wonderful people who make your work possible?...

If everyone is so focused on donor retention, why do people have trouble with the concept of “donor relations” and “donor experience”?...

Every fundraising ask for a gift consists of humans playing various parts to achieve a common purpose. The ultimate purpose of fundraising is to secure large gifts if possible. It is not easy and rather complex. After obtaining a large gift, it always is wise to dissect the ask and seek ways to improve strategy and performance. The next ask always is around the corner...