Lapsed Donors

Whenever I or anyone else at Bloomerang writes or speaks on donor retention, we often recommend that fundraisers isolate donors who haven’t given in two years into a separate list, removing them from regular direct-mail solicitations and other costly marketing efforts. While we are a bit more aggressive on this point, it’s not uncommon to…

I have a story I want tell you. Recently, I’ve been working with major gifts officer (MGO) Janice (not her real name) in the San Francisco Bay Area to help her get to know her donors on her caseload...

A staffer responsible for donor relations at a mid-size community charity began our conversation by describing a fundraising program that, although fully functioning, is showing the early warning signs of real trouble. Stagnant gift size and a declining—albeit slowly—donor-renewal rate. Her concern was palpable. At an appropriate pause, I asked her what she thought the issues were. Her response was simple: “Our donors simply aren’t giving enough. They don’t understand the urgency of the work we’re doing.”...

There are multiple ways to analyze giving and charitable trends, but you can’t run from the findings. Give it a try. Can you run from this statistic: “Every 100 donors gained in 2014 was offset by 103 donors lost through attrition”?...

We always try to make complex problems simple. To find out what are the questions that need answering. The problems that need solving. And break them down....

One thing that happens as you get older is that the Christmas season becomes a bit less about wonder, awe and toys, and becomes more about details, plans and socks. I remember that year of transition when I realized that my days of getting sweet presents was over, and I wouldn’t be getting any more…

What will you do differently this year-end to build a relationship with your donors so you are still “best buds” come December of next year? I think it starts with looking at businesses and organizations with which we have a relationship and feel some loyalty to. What are they doing right that we can emulate?...

According to the 2015 Fundraising Effectiveness Report, last year, gains from new and recaptured lapsed donors were more than offset by losses in the number of lapsed new and lapsed repeat donors—for a net loss in donors of -1.4 percent. Yipes! Do you want to be the exception? Then you have to be of greater service to your donors. To do this, you’ve got to get inside your donors’ heads...

You are losing donations. If you write appeal letters, fundraising newsletters or other donor communications, this video is a must for you to see. With these seven tips, you'll quickly plug some of the holes​ in your fundraising efforts. In the video below, Steven Screen and Jeff Brooks​ walk you through some easy storytelling fixes…

If you’ve been in fundraising for any length of time, you’ve no doubt come across what I call “Busyness Syndrome.” I first encountered this disorder during my second nonprofit development job. I’d been hired as a grant writer for an agency serving disadvantaged women and children. They were an organization I admired and was familiar with from my days working for a large grant-making foundation that funded them often. But what I found inside the organization was disheartening...