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How to make #GivingTuesday more than a gimme

Be the generosity

Soon it will be #GivingTuesday. My inbox, and yours, will overflow with messages from every nonprofit we’ve had contact with in the past. Too many of the messages will be the same: Send us money, because… #GivingTuesday! Let’s remember what this day was meant to be: Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) […]

Filed Under: Blog, Fundraising Tagged With: donor retention, generosity, thank you 1 Comment

Dear Fundraiser: Things we shouldn’t do

Dear fundraiser: things I wish you wouldn't do

  Dear Fundraiser, Here are the things I wish we wouldn’t do. I’m cheering for our success. So in a helpful spirit, I offer you my list below. So, putting on my donor hat, I wish we wouldn’t: Send an automated thank you message for an online gift and assume that’s enough Forget to thank […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeals, donor retention, relationships, thank you letters 35 Comments

What are you doing now to welcome new donors?

What are you doing to welcome new donors?

Are you welcoming your new donors well? If you’ve been busy fundraising this year, you may have found what many have: donors are being generous. They’re responding to emergency campaigns. They want to do something… and those organizations that provide something good to do are benefitting. So you may have attracted a group of new-to-you […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Thanks Tagged With: donor retention, donor welcome, new donors 2 Comments

Donor fatigue is not a thing

Donor fatigue is not a thing

Can we finally dispense with the idea of donor fatigue? Like that one leaf on an otherwise perfect green lawn, donor fatigue is an idea that just keeps blowing back into our world. And I wish we could kick it to the curb, today. A quick story: years ago, I was at a meeting, representing […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Fundraising Tagged With: donor fatigue, donor retention 2 Comments

After the ask: why donor engagement matters

After the ask - how can you keep donors engaged?

Donor engagement is critical. How are you doing? You’ve probably seen donor retention numbers over the last several years. Over the last five years, donor retention rates have been between 44% and 46%. That’s not good. And acquiring new donors has only gotten harder and more expensive. (But don’t stop trying!) So, what are you […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Fundraising Tagged With: donor journey, donor relationships, donor retention 1 Comment

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