Donate
The missing ingredient that causes more fundraising to fail than probably any other: It doesn’t actually ask people to donate. No matter how important your cause … no matter how strong your brand and visibility … no matter how connected your donors … If you don’t say Please donate, you’ll get fewer donations. You can’t…
Your grantmaking system is one of your organization’s most valuable assets. It contains a history of past grant requests, payment method information, and personal stories. Your grantees hand over their information fully trusting your team to review materials, make a decision, and protect their information. You also have a promise to keep to your stakeholders…
This might be one of the most effective direct-mail fundraising envelopes ever created. It will get opened! (And it’ll get there quickly.) This is the US Postal Service version. Many other countries have an equivalent. Here in the US, you buy the envelope from the Post Office. It costs around $10. The price includes postage….
We are embarking on a series of posts about what is probably the most important and impactful element of fundraising: The Offer. Advertisers often call it the “call to action.” Many fundraisers call it “the ask.” It’s the thing you want your donor to do. The thing you’re “selling.” It can be a seriously complex…
Within 4 weeks after they’ve given. Hands down, without question, the best time to ask a donor to give is soon after they’ve given. A lot of nonprofits operate on the opposite assumption — that recency predicts unwillingness to give again. If you’re avoiding contact with recent donors, you’re losing significant opportunities to bond with…
Want to see a situation where a very small changing wording makes a meaningful difference in fundraising results? You’ll find it on the Better Fundraising Blog, at One Test, Three Lessons. Yes, the post has three very useful lessons. But I want to focus on one of them. You’ll have surf over there to see…
What this blog is about The future of fundraising is not about social media, online video, or SEM. It’s not about any technology, medium, or technique. It’s about donors. If you need to raise funds from donors, you need to study them, respect them, and build everything you do around them. And the future? It’s already here. More….
Once upon a time I let folks know I’d “finagled” a discount for them. After one reader told me the word “finagle” means “to obtain something by devious or dishonest means,” I sent an apologetic “Ruh Roh” email. I received a lot of forgiving (thank you!) feedback. Many kindly supported my…
A budget is more than just a financial document. It’s a reflection of your mission, vision, and goals. It helps you allocate your resources, measure your impact, and communicate your value to your stakeholders. Creating a budget is not a one-time event. It has a dynamic lifecycle that involves constant monitoring, evaluation, and adjustment. Because…
Do you remember that huge wooden horse that the Greeks left outside the gates of Troy during the Trojan War? If not, here’s a refresher: The Greeks and the Trojans were fighting a bitter war. The Greeks pretended to withdraw and sail away from Troy, leaving an enormous wooden horse behind. And the Trojans, thinking…