Hands-On Fundraising

Donor Communications

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

Donor Communications

Don’t break my heart.

Don’t break my heart. Remember that fundraising is always personal. You might think I’m writing about the one that got away. The donor we courted and counted on. And then disappeared. We’ve all been there, right? It’s frustrating… sometimes, it breaks your heart. But today I’m writing as a donor. And about communications that reduce […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications, Thanks Tagged With: appeal writing, communication, donor retention, Donors, emotion, Fundraising, thank you letters

Are you assimilated?

Anyone of a certain age or entertainment preference will recognize the Borg. For the rest of you, let me explain a little. In Star Trek, the Borg is one of the most dangerous foes our heroes have to deal with. To quote Wikipedia’s entry: The Borg are a collection of species that have been turned into cybernetic organisms functioning […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeal writing, Borg, Donors, emotion, Fundraising

Have you ditched your annual appeal yet?

Here’s why you should ditch that annual appeal I just emailed a letter, response form, and list to the mail house. Our base tends to be generous at this time of year. (Yours probably is, too.) There’s a lot riding on this appeal, and I’ve spent many hours on my offer, my story, my response […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Planning Tagged With: annual appeal, appeal, appeal writing, direct mail, donor, fundraising appeal

Essential components of your fundraising appeal

Your fundraising appeal needs a strong case You must have a compelling, urgent problem the donor can help solve. You need an emotional story People make giving decisions with their emotions. Stories are the best way to ignite those emotions. Tell a story. Go ahead and use some statistics – they can help support the […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeal, appeal writing, fundraising appeal

Are you available to donors?

Are you available to donors? Can they reach you when they want to connect? I’ve written about a few badly done gift acknowledgments, here and here. I didn’t want to shame the organizations, so I omitted their names. But after each post, a colleague urged me to contact the offending organization. These organizations deserve to […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor retention, Fundraising, stewardship, thank you letters

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • …
  • 54
  • Next Page »

Fundraising advice served fresh to your inbox

Get yours here:

Search

Recent Posts

  • Build Major Donor Relationships: 5 Tips for Fundraisers
  • How to win donors by writing from your heart
  • Arts Fundraising: Engage and Inspire Your Donors
  • How you can use the Benjamin Franklin effect
  • 13 Quick tips for your next fundraising appeal

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