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She’s the one.

She’s the one. Your donor, that is. Or she should feel like the one. Strong communication is one-to-one. Underline that for fundraising communications. Who me? Think about it. You’re writing with a purpose. You want someone to do something. Want donors to ignore your request? Ask “someone” to do something. (One funny exception: my younger […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor focus, donor love, Writing Leave a Comment

Why it’s smart to love your donors for who they are

Why it’s smart to love your donors for who they are Identity matters. So are we letting a few verbs stand in the way of better solicitations? I read an article in the New York Times about the U.S.’s struggles with low voter turnout. One point made was that an experiment showed identity mattered more […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor appeals, donor retention, neuropsychology 1 Comment

8 reasons fundraising events suck

8 reasons fundraising events suck. (And why they don’t) I haven’t written much about fundraising events. That’s because they’ve usually felt necessary, but not particularly interesting. Let’s be honest: rare are the people who look forward to planning and throwing a gala. Rare are the people energized by finding sponsors. And rare are the people […]

Filed Under: Blog, Fundraising events Tagged With: Donors, events, gala 3 Comments

Try this fresh twist on Giving Tuesday

I’m not a particular fan of Giving Tuesday. In my experience as a staffer, I found it a time-suck. Worse, if yours is an organization without a strong community profile (a “best-kept secret”), it’s time spent building recognition for Giving Tuesday, not for your organization. And of course, it doesn’t always raise much money, either. […]

Filed Under: Blog, Thanks Tagged With: donor love, relationship fundraising, Thanks 4 Comments

The one thing you need to know about fundraising

What you need to know about fundraising: it’s not about you I’m embarrassed to say it took me years to realize this. I – like you, maybe – was filled with enthusiasm for my organization. That’s good. It’s really hard to do good work when you don’t feel that way. But I let it color […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donors Tagged With: donor focus, Donors, nonprofit mission Leave a Comment

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