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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

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

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

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

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

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Recent Posts

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