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You are not your donor

Even if you are a donor to your organization, you see with different eyes. You’re not the donor you’re trying to reach. That’s always good to keep in mind. Because our opinions are shaped by so much that won’t affect how – or if – a donor decides to give. Here’s one example: My husband […]

Filed Under: Donor communications, Fundraising Tagged With: donor communications, Donors Leave a Comment

Eff the ineffable

Or, how to make your ask concrete, if you work for an arts organization. Arts lovers know that art can’t always be constrained by words. I spent a good part of my career as a staff person in an arts organization. Theater was my route into the nonprofit world. But my love for all kinds […]

Filed Under: Arts Fundraising, Blog, Donor communications, Fundraising Tagged With: appeal writing, arts organization, donor communications, Fundraising Leave a Comment

Fundraisers, what do we need to do now?

We live in frustrating, pain-inducing times. There’s war, there’s sickness, there’s hunger, there’s injustice, there’s needless death. Uvalde hit me hard. Those little ones and what they went through! It’s easy to feel powerless. But fundraisers, we need to act. I’ve been thinking – a lot – about the emotional impact of gun violence in […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: change the world, donor communications, donor relationships Leave a Comment

Creative Deviations: a book you’ll want to read

“Creative Deviations”… you know you’re going to find this one interesting right from the title. John Lepp and Jen Love are partners in an agency you’ve probably heard of. Agents of Good are known for their creativity and utter dedication to the humanity of fundraising. They’re also people I’m honored to call friends. So when […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: creative deviations, direct mail, donor communications Leave a Comment

Where are all my stories hiding?

Where do you find the stories you need? So you’re (more) convinced that stories are the way to win over hearts. But now comes the big challenge. Where do I find our stories? I understand. It’s hard! We’ve all been carefully trained to judge our work using metrics. (And you must do that!) But what […]

Filed Under: Blog, Fundraising Tagged With: donor communications, donor relationships, storytelling Leave a Comment

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