Donor Relationship Management

Of course, fundraisers can't risk making promises they can't keep. But if you take the religion out of it … do you think this whole Rapture thing has anything to teach fundraisers about getting out their messages and engaging supporters?

For many nonprofits, acquisition budgets have been cut to the bone, and attrition continues to eat away at the donor file. Here are 10 mostly low-cost suggestions to build your donor and prospect list, despite the ever-shrinking budget.

Following are 10 ways to engage your community — as donors, volunteers and “evangelists” for your cause.

These 12 strategies aren't the only things I'd do to transform my donor-development office. They may not even be the most urgent things I'd do, or even the most important. But they are the things I'd do that I think would have the most lasting impact. They would make the most difference to converting my imaginary donor-development department from the under-funded, misunderstood appendage to the fundraising function that I found on joining the organization into the finely honed, high-
earning core activity that I'd like to leave behind when, in the fullness of time, I move on to pastures new (you have to indulge me a little here, in this fantasy). Anyway, here we go.

Talisma Fundraising's Dan Germain offers five steps for effective donor cultivation on the heels of a poll revealing optimism in the fundraising sector.

(Editor's Note: 101fundraising is a cool new blog where fundraisers around the world can share their thoughts about, well, fundraising. It's cool not only because of the diversity of the voices represented, but also because most of the posts are pretty involved and features new, original content. If you haven't checked it out yet, you should. In the meantime, here's a recent blog post from the site.)

Today's donors are more demanding than ever. But they're really not demanding anything you don't already know how to give or do — or should already be giving or doing. Here are 20 ways to be donor-centric.

Nonprofit brand strategy consultant Michele Levy provided 11 marketing communications best practices that fundraisers should utilize in their communications strategies in a recent webinar, Ten Marketing Communications Activities You Must Do.

As a new year unfolds, here's to relationships old and new, personal and professional. And here's to the deeper connections, genuine appreciation and fervent stewardship strategies that breathe practical reality into the outrageous hope I'd like to see color all our worlds in 2011.

This year I wanted to 1) motivate nonprofit communicators to reflect so they'll increase the impact of their work this year and 2) share the core lessons learned with their peers. Thus the "most valuable marketing lessons learned in 2010" survey was born.