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Nonprofits: Why you should stop trying and start doing

Nonprofits: Why you should stop trying and start doing Are you achieving your mission – or only trying? Last month, I read an article advising women to eliminate the word “just” from their vocabulary. The author explains why the word was bothering her: I am all about respectful communication. Yet I began to notice that […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor communications, mission statement, nonprofit mission 6 Comments

Want to know how to cure donor fatigue?

Want to know how to cure donor fatigue? Donor fatigue. Is it real? I don’t buy it. To me, it’s a cop-out. An excuse for bad fundraising. Look, I’m sure many donors are tired of the solicitations they receive. But that’s because so much of what they get is irrelevant to them. Sending fewer appeals […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor communications, donor fatigue, fundraising appeals 2 Comments

Why Mr. Spock can’t raise money

Why Mr. Spock can’t raise money Poor Spock. He’s caught between his tidy Vulcan logic and messy human emotion. Most of the time, he relies on Vulcan cool. That wouldn’t work well for fundraising, though. Human beings don’t make purely rational decisions. This isn’t my guess; it’s science. We make decisions in the older part […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor communications, emotional fundraising, neuropsychology 2 Comments

How to start an annual giving program

What I learned about annual giving years ago, and how it might help you. Many of the organizations I’ve worked with have been small to medium-sized. And that’s no surprise since most nonprofits in the US are small. They’re eager to build a solid fundraising program, but most continue to depend on grants. I think […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog Tagged With: annual giving program, donor communications 2 Comments

Are you bothering people or inspiring them?

Are you bothering people or inspiring them? So here we are – for fundraisers, this is the home stretch. The last weeks of the year. The most generous time of the year. (Cue the canned holiday music). We’re thinking about giving and new starts and miracles. We want to picture ourselves as kind and generous […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor communications, donor relationships, writing for donors 8 Comments

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