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Are donors tired – or just tired of you?

Your donors are tired… Were they for real? I was at a meeting with a number of organizations the other day, along with some fundraising consultants. During the course of the meeting, I was surprised to hear the respected counsel suggesting that the organizations cut back on their communications and solicitations with their donors. Why? […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeal writing, communication, donor fatigue, donor retention, Donors, Fundraising 3 Comments

Go ahead, make me

Have you ever wanted to say “make me!” in response to an appeal? Some frequently used packages always crack me up. I know these are so common because they work – though I’m not sure how “work” is defined, especially in the long term. There’s the nickel pack. No, wait, we’re up to a dime. (I […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: annual appeals, appeal writing, donor-focused, fundraising appeals 3 Comments

Year-end YIKES? Keep this in mind.

Is year-end fundraising keeping you up at night? If you haven’t got your plan down for the end of the year giving season, you’re going to have to improvise. That’s when some experience can help. Like an athlete’s muscle memory, good instincts can get you through. Here are some things I’ve learned over the years. […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog Tagged With: appeal letter, thank you letters, year-end plan Leave a Comment

Size matters. But don’t be too rough on the big guys.

Size matters, right? Do you work in a smaller nonprofit?  Chances are you do – in 2010 75% of nonprofits had annual budgets under $500,000. So you probably can’t turn to a well-oiled fundraising machine to coordinate complicated campaigns that cross multiple channels. We’re happy just to have a database, get the mail out on […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications, Thanks Tagged With: Customer service, donor retention, donor-focused, small nonprofits, thank you letters 13 Comments

Don’t break my heart.

Don’t break my heart. Remember that fundraising is always personal. You might think I’m writing about the one that got away. The donor we courted and counted on. And then disappeared. We’ve all been there, right? It’s frustrating… sometimes, it breaks your heart. But today I’m writing as a donor. And about communications that reduce […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications, Thanks Tagged With: appeal writing, communication, donor retention, Donors, emotion, Fundraising, thank you letters 1 Comment

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