Donor Relationship Management
January 13, 2016 at 12:31 pm
It’s January. For many of us, it is getting colder. The holidays have passed. There isn’t as much sunshine as there was a few months back, though we are getting more. While we’ve encountered the college football championship, and the Super Bowl is on the horizon, this can be a more subdued time of year. It still gets dark pretty early, and if you are like me, your energy level often sinks a bit as the sun sets. ...
January 12, 2016 at 9:19 am
Where should smart fundraisers be giving their attention in 2016 to capitalize on our economic growth? Technology changes and the economy changes. But people? Not so much. How will you be increasing fundraising revenue and strengthening donor relationships in 2016? Here are six things smart fundraisers will be doing...
January 11, 2016 at 9:06 am
The donor relationship equity built over the lifetime of an organization should not be taken lightly. Author Jeff Brooks encourages you to apply his proven strategies for raising more money and to avoid jarring tactics that jeopardize donor relationships. One of the passages we liked best in Brooks’s latest book, "A Fundraiser’s Guide to Irresistible…
January 11, 2016 at 8:00 am
Donors have a desire to provide real healing through giving. There is a desire to give another opportunity, to give themselves to others. That is really what is going on. Donors are not giving gifts. They are giving something of far greater value. They are giving relationship. You just need to find those real reasons in every donor relationship. Here's how that applies to you and your donors...
January 8, 2016 at 10:35 am
The word “middle” doesn’t always have the best connotation. From having “middle child syndrome” to being “middle of the road,” this word’s often associated with those things that are unfavorable or just plain innocuous. Another "middle" to add to this list is “middle donors.” These are the people who give your organization more than a…
January 4, 2016 at 10:15 am
Any of you who have read my blog posts over the last four years are well aware of my focus on one of the most important concepts in fundraising success: donor retention. Because of that focus, the research on the subject spans every nook and cranny possible for fresh insights and techniques. Needless to say,…
December 30, 2015 at 9:31 am
Did you know that development directors who stay in jobs longer are able to raise significantly more money than if they were to hop from one organization to the next? It should come as no surprise. If fundraising truly is about relationships, development directors need to be at their organizations for enough years to develop…
December 29, 2015 at 11:06 am
The crux of Russell Conway's famous essay, “Acres of Diamonds,” actually translates to one of the greatest secrets of fundraising ever revealed. It’s been my experience that virtually every organization fails to fully mine the innumerable diamonds hidden within its own database. So how can you find “Acres of Diamonds” within your own organization? Focus on developing a positive, forward-thinking attitude...
December 28, 2015 at 9:43 am
Your major donor has given in the last month or so, and you now are turning your attention to the donors on your caseload who have not given so far this calendar year. This is good. But you may be missing an opportunity to ask your major donor for another gift. “What?” you say. “Ask again? I can’t do that! It would not be right.” Well, let me present a different point of view...
December 23, 2015 at 9:27 am
No one likes to be scolded. Yet most nonprofits make a practice of regularly admonishing supporters to give "where most needed." You probably think this is a good thing. After all, it gives you the greatest flexibility. Right? Wrong. You’ll have a lot more flexibility if you raise more money. And you’ll raise a lot more money if you stop thinking about you and your needs and think more about your donors and their needs...
