It's important to get an overall picture of how your constituents interact with your organization and vice versa, as well as gather and analyze data about past peer-to-peer campaigns and events. Your ability to accomplish these things depends heavily on your peer-to-peer fundraising software’s ability to integrate with other key systems...
A meeting started out negatively with the finance person saying that a personal relationship with a donor doesn’t really count – it doesn’t positively affect the retention or contribution of that donor. Now, to be fair, he didn’t exactly say it that way. What he said is that the investment in a major gifts officer (MGO) was not worth the result in revenue in the first two years of the MGOs tenure — and that those donors were better off just being communicated with by direct mail...
Typically, we see clogs in that pipeline in the mid-level range of giving. Donors get stuck at a mid-level point of giving because even though they are giving at higher levels, nonprofits are still cultivating them like a $20 donor. So, the major gift program suffers because you’re not feeding major gifts a healthy diet of qualified major donors...
In fundraising, a donor parts with money when he or she perceives that the “price” being “paid” is worth what happens when the money is used. The donor is giving a sum of money for something, and it is right for him or her. What is right for the donor as it relates the amount you propose to ask for?...
As someone who’s been working with and on monthly donor programs for almost 30 years now, the order of operations comes up a lot. It often creates a pause or a stop in the growth of monthly donors. Of course, we’re only human and, as fundraisers, we often tend to focus — and agonize — about things that are least important. But they’re easier. They make us feel we’re more in control...
If you look at the most recent statistics on donor retention, the year 2020 was not great. One reason was that many organizations put a hold on asking for contributions in the first half of the year because they worried about donors not giving. Many continued to be reluctant well into the second half. Hence, many donors who gave in 2019, never gave in 2020...
For many of you, this, too, may be a good time to sit down and take a moment and look at the plan for the fall. Sometimes all it takes is writing something down and putting it somewhere you can see it. Nothing happens magically, but just putting it on your to-do list will make it much more likely to happen...
You know how Richard and I are always talking to you about reporting back to your donor the impact their gifts are making, right? And the reason we do it is that the lack of reporting back is still the No. 1 reason why donors stop giving to you...
Every person who works for a nonprofit or is associated with an organization internally is an ambassador of that organization by virtue of association. As an employee of The Salvation Army, I wear, with pride, a shirt with the logo of The Salvation Army. Volunteers also wear clothing that signifies an association with the organization...
Sustainer giving is not the latest shiny new thing. Instead, it should already be part of your fundraising strategy as it will permeate all your giving and all levels of donors. It will help you keep your lights on. It will help you with your operating revenue. All it takes is a little bit of time to focus on it. So, if you’re looking to grow your monthly donor program, make sure you’re looking at it as an important thing that can be very exciting and fun to work on, just a little bit at a time...
