Donor Relationship Management

I don’t need to tell you that it’s a busy time of year. We have too many things to do and very little time to get it all done. We are all just running to keep up, so I thought I would have a little fun with my next topic and present 10 ways you can…

Fran was a major gifts officer (MGO) who had great relationships with his donors. Then, in October 2008, a disaster struck for a donor he greatly respected that left the donor unable to make his usual gift. Many MGOs might have given up on this donor and moved on. But Fran was adamant about not giving up this donor. In fact, Fran did the opposite...

In this episode of “What’s the Big Idea?” Richard Levy of Give2gether discusses the science of year-end giving and what organizations can do to increase donations. Levy said nonprofits should streamline the transaction process by requiring less information on a donation form and show off the nonprofit’s mission to convert online visitors to donors. A…

‘Tis the season for holiday shopping, family feasts and gift giving. The last few months of the year are a busy time for everyone, including nonprofits. While retailers are busy with glitzy sales events featuring the year’s must-have items, nonprofits are also working hard to capitalize on the season of giving. About 50 percent of…

Do you feel like you’ve been on the receiving end of the same marketing advice for years? Or that the outdated hodgepodge of marketing tactics promoted by fundraising blogs, websites and experts often isn’t relevant to your fundraising strategy–and might actually be killing your fundraising results? Here's one I hear pretty often: "If you show…

“When you develop visit scripts, do we have to learn them verbatim?” the client asked. I was shocked. We develop scripts for every pre-solicitation and solicitation visit in a campaign. However, these outlines are not something to regurgitate word for word. They are outlines to use to become familiar with the flow of a visit...

Have you ever attended a conference or a course, but then failed to act on what you’d learned? Hey, it happens to the best of us. So, what’s a quick and easy shift you can you make today to ensure that you follow through on implementing those tactics you know will make your organization stronger (and keep your donors giving)?...

During the holiday season, our mailboxes are overflowing with catalogs, holiday cards—and requests for donations. At this time of year, when people are feeling most generous, nonprofits work hard to raise needed funds. Although important to nonprofit budgets, most year-end giving is transactional rather than transformational. Donors give once—often devoid of strategy—and nonprofits receive a…

Nonprofits, those organizations that look to the goodwill and generosity of others for their very continuance, have a direct and powerful need to be thankful. Telling your supporters at Thanksgiving you appreciate them is just fine. Communicating gratitude without even telling them hits it out of the park. How do you do this?...

Fifteen years ago, public school teacher Charles Best started DonorsChoose.org out of his classroom in Bronx, N.Y. He set out with a simple idea: Invite teachers to request supplies they need and allow citizen-donors to make direct connections with specific classrooms. The mission of DonorsChoose.org isn't unique. On the contrary, there are many organizations that…