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Trademarked

Can a friend be trademarked? I received a solicitation in the mail the other day. I bet you’ve also gotten this one or one like it. It comes with many colorful address labels. And a nickel! What really made me laugh this time, though, was the salutation. They obviously knew my name, because it was […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeal writing, direct mail, Fundraising

Letting Go

Letting go is hard. If you’re like me, you have a tendency to want to control as much as possible of your work life. That makes us good at what we do. You don’t want someone indifferent handling donor care – or data entry – right? But that’s a different dance when you’re working with […]

Filed Under: Blog, Boards, Fundraising Tagged With: Boards, Donors, Nonprofit

No thanks

Almost every day I receive an acknowledgment letter that misses the mark. We’ll call it a no thanks. But the one I received recently really offers a lesson in what not to do. Thank you fail It’s plainly generic, to begin with. Though my name and address appear on the letter, the salutation reads “Dear Friend”. […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Thanks Tagged With: donor retention, Donors, Fundraising, Nonprofit, thank you letters, Thanks

Work in Progress

I’m a work in progress. So are you! I’ve been a fundraiser for a long time. Yet I still think of myself more as a student, not a teacher. And I’ve been feeling a little guilty about that. Instead of just soaking all those smarts up, shouldn’t I add something? I’m going to try. I […]

Filed Under: Blog, Fundraising, Nonprofits Tagged With: Fundraising, Nonprofit

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