Hands-On Fundraising

Donor Communications

  • About
  • Hands-On Fundraising Blog
  • Services
  • Contact

Dear Fundraiser: Things we shouldn’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

Stop thinking about money!

Do we need to stop thinking about money? I was at a meeting the other day. A local foundation offered training about soliciting major donors. It was a small enough group that we had time to hash out a few hypothetical situations. A good session and well worth the hour or so. As is often […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: appeal writing, donor retention, Donors, money, relationships 3 Comments

The Oprah Syndrome

I think of it as The Oprah Syndrome. And if you raise money for a nonprofit, I’m betting you’ve run into it, too. Picture this: you’re at a board meeting. The topic of discussion is a forecast deficit for the year. “What are we to do?”, the finance chair moans. Board members look around, hoping […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: Donors, fundraising plans, Oprah Winfrey, relationships, strategic planning, wishful thinking 14 Comments

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, […]

Filed Under: Annual Giving, Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: Customer service, donor retention, Donors, Nonprofit, relationships, writing for donors 2 Comments

Your quick and easy solution to donor retention

Donor retention? I’m sure you’ve been hearing all about donor retention lately. It’s a hot topic in fundraising circles –especially now. And thanks to a bad economy, we’ve learned to pay more attention to the donors we already have. So is there a quick and easy solution? So you probably know the sad truth: most […]

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

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Fundraising advice served fresh to your inbox

Get yours here:

Search

Recent Posts

  • How you can find a good story
  • Fundraising lessons we can use from Ukraine
  • Why your fundraising program should focus on people
  • Why the AI robots are not going to take your job
  • Are you nervous about 2023? Here’s what you can do

Work with me!

Let's talk about how I can help your organization raise more money.

Contact

  • Donor communications
  • Fundraising Strategy

Copyright © 2023 · Mary Cahalane · Hands-On Fundraising · 847 S. Main Street · #183 · Plantsville, CT 06479