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Go ahead, make me

Have you ever wanted to say “make me!” in response to an appeal? Some frequently used packages always crack me up. I know these are so common because they work – though I’m not sure how “work” is defined, especially in the long term. There’s the nickel pack. No, wait, we’re up to a dime. (I […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: annual appeals, appeal writing, donor-focused, fundraising appeals 3 Comments

Size matters. But don’t be too rough on the big guys.

Size matters, right? Do you work in a smaller nonprofit?  Chances are you do – in 2010 75% of nonprofits had annual budgets under $500,000. So you probably can’t turn to a well-oiled fundraising machine to coordinate complicated campaigns that cross multiple channels. We’re happy just to have a database, get the mail out on […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications, Thanks Tagged With: Customer service, donor retention, donor-focused, small nonprofits, thank you letters 13 Comments

Don’t fall in love

Sometimes you can choose when to fall in love It feels wonderful to be in love. Colors are brighter, sounds are sweeter. You know, all that pop song stuff. But it’s a dangerous thing to fall in love with your own writing. Or with your own organization. Don’t get me wrong – you want to […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeal writing, donor-focused, fundraising writing, writing for donors 6 Comments

I can’t thank you enough! (Or can I?)

Can you thank someone too much? I wrote (ok, ranted) about the things I wish we fundraisers wouldn’t do. A commenter asked a question I’ve asked myself over the years. I thought I’d explore it a little further today. The question was basically “how can you say thank you to donors, over and over again, […]

Filed Under: Blog, Thanks Tagged With: donor care, donor relations, donor retention, donor-focused, gratitude, stewardship, thank you letters 10 Comments

How to apologize

Apologizing is never fun. But at some point, you open an envelope or answer the phone and find an upset supporter. You cringe and wonder what went wrong. Remember: how you handle this may make all the difference in your relationship with this donor. So do it right! The first rule? No matter how strong […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donors Tagged With: apologies, Customer service, donor-focused 3 Comments

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