In one corner we have fundraising experts who say that what’s needed is just two more appeal letters, while in the other corner, we have experts who say we’ve got to reduce the volume of mail donors receive. As fun...
Most people who donate to charity want to be thanked. They also want to receive some kind of recognition. And eventually, more often than not, they want to hear about the impact of their gift. While these three steps –...
NOTE: Want to learn about easy-to-implement, cost-effective donor stewardship strategies? We partnered with Vanessa Chase for a free webinar on May 7, 2015. The recording is available here: Budget Friendly Ideas for Donor Stewardship. Most nonprofits are facing a similar problem...
Etiquette guru Emily Post might advise that it’s never wrong to send a written thank you, but a surprising number of nonprofits and charities forget this simple courtesy — or do it badly — without recognizing the consequence to the...
Ah, The Raiser’s Edge - that pillar of software that commands our fundraising lives. For most of us, the mere mention of it can send us into panic mode, triggering a grimace of frustration, anger or despair. Heralded for its...
Start by listening Almost a decade ago, my colleagues at Good Works and I conducted the first-ever quantitative research study of direct mail donors in Canada. We surveyed 500 Canadian direct mail donors who had made two or more gifts...
For nonprofit organizations, it’s major (or planned) donors that contribute significant revenues. Securing a major donor, however, often requires stewardship through the donor pyramid, which in turn, requires loyalty. Loyalty is important because it is a major contributing factor to...
Last month we looked at how to renew lapsed donors and I said stay tuned for more information on how to re-engage monthly supporters. That said, these donors are less likely to lapse than annual donors and usually have contributed...
As fundraising professionals, we all know that we need to thank our donors. What most of us don’t realize is that our donors already know what kind of thanks, beyond a standard acknowledgement, would be most meaningful. The best thank...
We want to improve our donor recognition and stewardship programs. What would you recommend? Thanks for your question; you have chosen one of my favourite topics because it's an area that can make or break your fundraising efforts. I've often...
