Donor Relationship Management

“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…

As the use of digital marketing continues to evolve and expand within the nonprofit industry, fundraising executives are demanding more integration within their marketing, communication and fundraising solutions. The key point of distinction is nonprofits that wish to implement integrated fundraising strategies must first think of their constituents rather than the communication tactic itself...

Before starting my own business, I spent more than 20 years as a fundraiser. When I was asked the question at cocktail parties, “What do you do?” I’d tell them that I’m a fundraiser. The most common and immediate response was, “I could never ask people for money. “ I’d smile and say, “That is…

For the most part, nonprofit organizations have been hit hard by our nation’s economic woes. They’re facing challenges in terms of donations, staffing, government and foundation funding, and organizational structure. How can you quickly make a difference while at the same time setting those important standards for your organization’s future sustainability?...

Think of your dearest friends. The people who are closer to you than family. Did that bond endure despite silence, inattentiveness and a lack of interest in their lives? Of course it didn’t! You invested countless time and energy in those relationships. It is difficult to comprehend that fundraising and "friendraising" as practices often exist…

In a perfect world, a gift is an expression of a deeper relationship. It is a tangible way of telling the other person you value them, you care about them, you love them and that they really do matter in the larger scheme of things. But in many relationships, gifts have become an obligatory transaction devoid of any real meaning. And that is why I worry about it...