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Donor Communications

The power of one

You’ve probably been hearing the story of young Sarah Murnaghan, the 10-year-old girl with end-stage cystic fibrosis. She’s in desperate need of a lung transplant. Without one, she isn’t likely to survive the next couple of weeks. But transplant rules don’t allow her to move to the front of the line – before adults and […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeal writing, direct mail, Donors, Fundraising 2 Comments

Scheherazade and bathtubs

When my oldest was just a little girl, she insisted that I tell her stories while in the tub. After a full day at work and several hours running after a little one, it was a rare night that I could summon the energy to make something up. So I relied on fairy tales – […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeal writing, Fundraising, storytelling Leave a Comment

The best fundraising ideas I ever stole, part four: survey says!

Do you want to know what your donors think? Do you want them to know you care what they think? Would you like some interesting information about your donors – including testimonials and suggestions you might never get otherwise? Then you want to try a donor survey I first created one years ago and have […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor retention, donor survey, mail appeal, Thanks 19 Comments

The best fundraising idea I ever stole – part 3

For much of the past decade, I worked for nonprofits that are on the smaller side. We needed maximum results from minimal staff. I’m always on the look-out for great ideas that I can copy, DIY-style. So it’s fortunate that I’ve been a fan of Tom Ahern and his e-newsletter for so long. He turned me […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor newsletter, donor retention, Donors, Fundraising, Nonprofit, thank you 10 Comments

Please, fix your thank you letters!

I want you to raise more money. So I want you to fix your thank you letters. I understand why thank you letters might seem an after-thought. When I first started working in development, I felt comfortable around data and record-keeping. It felt neat and orderly. You plug the numbers in correctly and you get […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Thanks Tagged With: Donors, Nonprofit, thank you letters, Writing 19 Comments

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