So many of us think about increasing their major gift program and end up scratching our heads. How do we find donors that can make a major gift? Where do we look for donors whose gift can leveraged to create the most incredible impact in our organization? If you’ve found yourself in this position, you…
Do you remember this childhood joke? Pete and Repeat went out in a boat. Pete fell in. Who was left? Repeat. Pete and Repeat when out in a boat. Pete fell in. Who was left?… I remember being so tickled with myself when I told that joke to adults. Fundraising needs to be repetitive. This…
One of the most important measures of a healthy non-profit organization is their rate of donor retention. In other words, do you have an avid audience who is eating up every word and deed you’re doing, and then passing it on? Does this translate into donors giving again? The numbers don’t lie. From the Fundraising…
How do you think the new tax bill will affect your contributions this year? My first thought is “Bummer! I’m likely not going to be able to deduct my charitable contributions from my taxes this year”. And then…, “but, yay on the new, higher, standard deduction!” So, there it is. Not much of an impact…
3 easy ways to generate a reaction of “wow” with your donors. One might read this headline and think it’s about how to get that giant contribution to come your way. You’d be wrong! 🙂 This is about how to make the first-time donor say, “Wow” when they hear back from you after they’ve made…
Donor Retention Rates Need Your Attention Only 2.5% of charities have a donor retention rate of 70 percent based on the Association of Fundraising Professionals study. Did you get that? Two and a half percent! That means more than a quarter of your donors won’t be back. Why should you care about this? Because it’s…
Donor retention comes down to this: Make your donors the hero of the story (because they are). It’s the time of year that donors are considering their year-end giving. And, it’s the time of year when those of us that work in fundraising are honing our letters, our emails, our social media engagement content. So,…
If your organization has a real relaxed approach to following up on donor pledges, what you’ll likely see is your donors backs as they walk away from your agency. Put yourself in the shoes of a pledging donor. Do you think that their decision was one that came easily? More than likely their pledge was…
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…