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Can I help you?

I am not a scientist. Mine is a brain made for metaphor, not molecules. But so long as I don’t need to crack a biology textbook, memorize the periodic table or dissect a frog, I’m willing to dip a toe in. And one area I find fascinating is neuroscience. Why do we behave the way […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Donors Tagged With: caring, Donors, helpfulness, neuroscience, Nonprofit 5 Comments

Has your donor reached her limit?

Unhappy donors don't give

  “No, we can’t do that. But it’s a good idea. You should definitely offer that suggestion.” “I can’t. I’ve run out of allowed suggestions.” “Oh, well, they limit them to make it easier on them.” This was a real conversation I had. And a perfect example of a bad customer service mindset. I’m not […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Fundraising Tagged With: Customer service, donor retention, Donors, Fundraising, Nonprofit 8 Comments

A love song to the small donor

I’ve been trying to update and correct information in our database. It’s a chore. I’m going through everything line by line, gift by gift. I realize one thing as I work, though. While I’ve only been at my organization for a year, so many of the names I see are familiar. It happens when you’ve […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor retention, Fundraising, loyalty, Nonprofit, Nonprofit organization, small donors 8 Comments

DON’T just do it

Stop and plan

Be honest: if you’ve spent any time working with a nonprofit with a budget short of 3 million, you’ve seen the tendency to put out today’s fires with the water you need for tomorrow. We all assume that we can magically make it work. In a way it’s admirable. We’ve got missions to live up […]

Filed Under: Blog, Boards, Planning Tagged With: Boards, Nonprofit, planning, strategic planning, tactics 4 Comments

Perspective

Perspective

I hope you’ll forgive me a little story. I was pretty grumpy as I left the house that morning. I had gotten up early so I could get into the office well before anyone else. Maybe actually get something done. I pulled into Dunkin Donuts for an iced tea. (I’ll never learn to like coffee.) […]

Filed Under: Blog, Caring for yourself Tagged With: gratitude, homelessness, Nonprofit, social justice 1 Comment

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