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Is this any way to treat a friend?

I don’t treat friends like this, do you? I’ll admit that I only open some of my mail. Like most people, I quickly sort out the bills and other “must-open” things. Then I go through the rest. One glance at the envelope is usually enough to tell me whether I want to bother opening it. […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeal, appeal writing, donor retention, Donors, Fundraising, Mail, Nonprofit, solicitation Leave a Comment

Are you making it hard to give?

Are you getting between donors and your mission? With the best possible intentions, you just might be. It’s the curse of knowledge that every dedicated fundraiser develops. You know your organization’s work, inside and out. (You have to if you’re going to do a great job – so I know you do!) You understand the […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Thanks Tagged With: donor communications, donor retention, Fundraising Leave a Comment

You can do better

You can do better than the appeal we recently received at home. Really! And you probably do already. This was a cold appeal. And they’re definitely harder to craft. You don’t know the audience as well, for one thing. This appeal was also from a large, well-known organization. Sigh. And it’s mostly a brag-fest. They […]

Filed Under: Blog, Fundraising Tagged With: appeal writing, donor communications, Fundraising Leave a Comment

This is why you can’t find a great development director

Great development directors are precious. It seems there is a constant demand for development directors. Turnover is a tremendous problem. People wonder why they can’t find a great one. In their study, Underdeveloped, CompassPoint, and the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund found “high levels of turnover and lengthy vacancies in development director positions throughout the sector.” […]

Filed Under: Blog, Fundraising Tagged With: Development director, Fundraising 43 Comments

12 human quirks you can use to fundraise better

We humans are quirky. You know fundraising is never as simple as asking for donations. Behind your ask is a world of study. We think about our language. We consider exactly what we’re asking for and why. And we keep the language clear and simple. We’re straightforward about the need and use stories to illustrate […]

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

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Recent Posts

  • Is this any way to treat a friend?
  • Size matters. But don’t be too rough on the big guys.
  • Why the things you hate make good appeals
  • DIY Donor newsletter – yes, you can
  • Three steps you should take now to keep your donors this year

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