When it comes down to it, successful fundraising is about successfully executing the basics. When you want to raise money for something, be sure to do these fundraising basics: Research Remember, run your dollar goal through a gift range calculator. This helps you know what levels of gifts to be looking for. Engage Before you
The post 4 specific tips for each stage of the ask appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.
Continue readingMost fundraising professionals know that having good information is the secret to increased revenue, stronger relationships, and more successful appeals. By analyzing the donor data you have available, you can learn volumes about donor motivation and behavior, then use this information to guide your fundraising approach. Donor data can help you with segmentation, marketing, stewardship,
The post Tracking Performance: 6 Fundraising Data Points You Need appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.
Continue readingFundraising is filled with things that seem to make sense, but don’t. One of those areas is when it comes to thanking donors. When we thank donors, we think we need to prove to them that we did great work. So we fill our donor newsletters with Statistics (we fed X many people) Staff accomplishments
The post Thanking donors is NOT an activity report appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.
Continue readingFor decades, we’ve known that face-to-face meetings were the best way to raise major gifts. Talking directly to people. Taking them on a tour of the project. Being in the same space as the donors. Meeting face-to-face is so important, most major gift officers’ job performance is measured by how many in-person meetings they have,
The post What is a major gift fundraiser to do with all this free time? appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.
Continue readingDo you have a system for expressing gratitude? For telling your nonprofit’s donors how grateful you are for their support? In my weekly coaching email, Fundraising Kick, we’ve been looking at systems we use in fundraising. Using a system allows you to make a decision one time, rather than needing to make decisions with each and
The post Create a system for expressing gratitude appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.
Continue readingDid you read the “Outspoken Donor” article in a recent Chronicle of Philanthropy? I didn’t like it very much. But some of the donor’s experiences with fundraisers are chilling. For example, she says: “Development officers sometimes think that because you gave money to one particular cause, you’re expected to give to something else, too, and
The post Be strategic and curious – not a jerk appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.
Continue readingSo many fundraising problems can be solved by interacting with donors. Getting to know them. Asking about their interests. Learning their stories. I call it “seeing donors in their natural habitat.” But if you’ve had years and years of only focusing on your nonprofit and what you do and how great your staff is, interacting
The post How to effectively interact with donors appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.
Continue readingPrivate coaching clients have been emailing me the doom and gloom articles on the latest Giving USA report. Giving was up about $3 billion but when adjusted for inflation, giving was down in 2018. This should grab our attention. But not for the reasons you think. In answering a coaching client today, I ended up
The post Giving headlines should grab your attention, but not for the reasons you think appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.
Continue readingNonprofits love sending email. It doesn’t take all the printing time of direct mail. And it costs less. But what if your emails aren’t getting to your list? In the last few weeks, Google and Yahoo have tweaked their algorithms – the systems they use to determine if your email is wanted or unwanted. In fact,
The post Email deliverability is more than double opt-in appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.
Continue readingExcellent fundraisers know that fundraising is about a relationship with a donor. Since they’re a “donor,” the relationship is centered around their giving. But it is a relationship. That giving is linked to a donor’s values and passions – things that make her uniquely human. And it’s those values and passions that contribute to a genuine
The post When in doubt, write a JTOY appeared first on FundraisingCoach.com.
Continue reading