How do you say thanks? When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.― Maya Angelou We often focus on the end of the year as a special time to be thankful. But honestly, gratitude should be a daily practice for those of us working for great causes. How do you keep donors around? […]
Are you too pretty to work?
Have you gotten a really beautiful appeal recently? It could be an email, or it could be a fancy direct mail package. I have to wonder about their effectiveness. So many are pretty to look at, but not moving. And that’s a big problem. Shiny postcards on heavy paper. Four-color imagery and brand-specific fonts. Reverse type (because […]
Are you guilty of donor abuse?
Are you guilty of donor abuse? It happens too often. You might want to check yourself. Here are some signs: You value the person according to their checkbook It’s happened more than once. I make a thank you phone call, only to hear the person on the other end protest. “You don’t need to call me! I’m […]
It’s personal
It’s personal. Fundraising, that is. Picture this: you walk to your mailbox. Inside, you find an envelope with a return address you recognize. “Real mail!” you think. You open that envelope first and in a hurry. Then you begin to feel confused. Disappointed. “Dear Ms. LastName” it begins. “Because I am a caring person, I […]
Put it in writing
It’s fun when something you should do is also something you enjoy doing. I’ve grown to truly enjoy sending hand-written thanks (and other notes) to our donors. It’s partly the challenge. For instance, after the end of the year, I had more than 70 in a backlog. That was one marathon note-writing session! But I […]