No one likes to get the silent treatment. No one likes to be the last to know. Don’t stop talking with your donors. Communicating with the people that have connected with your organization ought to be in an organized and consistent way. Some people assume that donors don’t want to hear from you. Wrong! Some…
Warning! This post is pretty straight forward and a little abrupt. It makes me absolutely crazy when non-profits think they would be bothering their donors if the called them on the phone. Phooey! 3 Reasons Your Donors Will Walk #1.) The number one reason that donors don’t stick around is they don’t feel appreciated. Did you…
Ask, Thank, Report, Ask, Thank, Report – This is a fundraising model that works! It’s a cycle that is proven. It’s a cycle you can put into your calendar. It’s a strategy when there’s no strategy. Here’s how it works – it’s an “honor program”: Honor your donor by sharing the problem your organization is…
Your Volunteers Deserve VIP Status Crazy thing happened the other day. I became aware of an organization that has a call to action on their website that gives potential volunteers the opportunity to provide their personal contact information, a little about themselves, and to choose how they would like to help. The organization provided four…
The difficult months for fundraising are upon us! There is a period of time every year where fundraising seems to come to a screeching halt. That doesn’t mean that communication isn’t essential to your overall fundraising strategy during this time. While it may not be the ideal time to do a big fundraising push, it’s…
Giving USA Report on Philanthropy Here are the big take-aways from the Giving USA Report for 2016 philanthropy. 1.4% increase in overall giving (more on that below). 390B – total charitable giving in the US in 2016. WOWZERS! 74% comes from Individual Donors, making major gift programs more important than ever. Corporate Giving has not…
Why is it hard to raise funds? Most often, you’re trying to fundraise to everybody. It’s a killer. One reason is that large numbers of people don’t believe what you’re saying. No matter how obvious and self-evident you think it is. Large numbers can stay comfortably numb and never really engage with your mission, vision…
Authenticity Is A No-Brainer in Fundraising Recently, while out and about with my Mom, we decided that an ice cream shake sounded like a good idea. Traveling through a small town in Kansas, there didn’t appear to be many options. We came up on a Sonic Drive In and pulled in to place our order…
A couple of months ago, I did what I’ve done the past 3 years. I went to camp! Camp GLP (Good Life Project) is an immersive, inspirational, educational, crazy creative, wildly silly and magically deep experience for adults. There were nearly 400 of us, gathered from around the globe, sharing and holding space with each…