Don’t settle for a boring, emotion-free thank you. I picked up my mail the other day and opened an envelope from a well-respected advocacy organization. It was an acknowledgment of my recent gift. And it was so disappointing! Mentally, I went through a list of failures in one letter: My husband’s name was spelled incorrectly. […]
Your killer advantage: great customer service
A customer service story Do your donors feel like this? The other night, my husband called my cell phone. “Are you home?” he asked, puzzled. “Yes”, I answered, just as confused. Apparently, he’d been trying our home line and getting no answer. I checked, and yes, our line was dead. I tried to call AT&T, […]
The royal we
Do you see a lot of the “royal we” in your mailbox? Know what I mean? “XYZ has been successfully helping [poor, hungry, sick] people for more than 30 years. During that time, we have blah, blah, blah. We have been recognized by Charity Navigator for our excellent finances. We have been celebrated by our […]
A small big thing… and lessons learned
I’d like to share a couple of lessons learned. Long, long ago in a galaxy far away, I took my first fundraising job. I had run a department at another nonprofit theater – managing a full-time staff of 25. So in a way, it felt like I’d been knocked down a few pegs. But I didn’t […]
The best fundraising idea I ever stole – part 3
For much of the past decade, I worked for nonprofits that are on the smaller side. We needed maximum results from minimal staff. I’m always on the look-out for great ideas that I can copy, DIY-style. So it’s fortunate that I’ve been a fan of Tom Ahern and his e-newsletter for so long. He turned me […]