What is a lapsed donor? Yes, of course, a donor who hasn’t given in a while. But how do you define that period? How long do you consider a donor active? Experts tell us that after a first gift, you need to thank donors, report back on the impact of their gift and ask again […]
Do you want to get bigger? Think small.
Everybody is nobody From time to time, I get an email from someone looking for fundraising help. They want to know how they can get their message out to everyone. So, first, let me clear something up: fundraising consultants do not have a magic contact list you can use. And while I admire their conviction […]
Do you think fundraising is scary?
What’s holding your fundraising back? Is fundraising scary? I recently posed that question to a group I was training. We were having some fun with a true and false game. Most of the questions were pretty easy to answer. This one was more nuanced. Fundraising is sometimes scary. But it’s almost always needed. So if […]
Dear fundraiser: are you making these big mistakes?
∗This post was originally published several years ago. I’ve updated it to include some helpful comments from colleagues. I hope you enjoy it! Dear Fundraiser, Some things you do really bug me. As your colleague, I’m cheering for your success. So in a helpful spirit, I offer you my list below. I wish you wouldn’t: […]
Straight talk about donor love
Is the idea of donor love just fluff? The answer depends on you. But first, let’s clear a few things up. Maybe it will make you more comfortable. Here’s what donor love isn’t: Donor love isn’t romantic Donor love isn’t exclusive Donor love isn’t extraneous This is love in the sense of philanthropy. That is, […]