Hands-On Fundraising

Donor Communications

  • About
  • Hands-On Fundraising Blog
  • Services
  • Contact

Looking for new donors? 5 things to think about

Looking for new donors? 5 things to think about So you’re looking for a few good (new) donors, are you? (Isn’t everyone?) Before you start pushing mail out the door or emailing wildly, there are some steps you should take. 1. Before you start: are you caring for your current donors? If you’re not already […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog Tagged With: donor acquisition, fundraising appeals, new donors 5 Comments

Empowering donors: measuring impact

We’ve got work to do. I recently read a piece from Give.org, “Public Perceptions of Charity Impact.” In it, they refer to their recently released Special Donor Trust Report. And one of the findings left me with my head in my hands. Those with household income above $200k who report they know the meaning of […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Nonprofits Tagged With: donor communications, impact, Nonprofit 1 Comment

How do you connect with donors? Show more.

There is no faster way into our brains than an image. As Peter Temple explains in this post, “We don’t see words as a series of letters. We see them as pictures.” He goes on to say that our brains read words as a series of images. We’re able to quickly (milliseconds) put them together when […]

Filed Under: Blog Leave a Comment

Your donor retention how-to

First, why does donor retention matter? Ah, donor retention. We talk about it often. But why does it matter? Acquiring new donors is hard and often expensive. (You still need to do it.) So not doing all you can to keep the donors you have is like tossing money out the window. Prioritize retention! Also… […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donors, Planning Tagged With: donor relationships, donor retention Leave a Comment

Don’t invoice me when you want a gift

Playing cute tricks with donors isn’t the win you think it is I’ve been stewing about a certain kind of gift solicitation. I’ve hesitated to write about it. But I get more annoyed the more I think about the damage these things can do. Want some examples? This is an email I got. (Good organization; […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeals, donor care, donor choice 15 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • …
  • 109
  • Next Page »

Fundraising advice served fresh to your inbox

Get yours here:

Search

Recent Posts

  • DIY Donor newsletter – yes, you can
  • Three steps you should take now to keep your donors this year
  • How to Build Your Own Donor-Centric Fundraising Strategy
  • Please don’t go! 5 ways to win donor hearts again.
  • Can we stop this in its tracks, please?

Work with me!

Let's talk about how I can help your organization raise more money.

Contact

  • Donor communications
  • Fundraising Strategy

Copyright © 2026 · Mary Cahalane · Hands-On Fundraising · 847 S. Main Street · #183 · Plantsville, CT 06479