As a matter of fact, major donors expect to be “insiders”. Most would truly be upset to find out that you were struggling to make ends meet at year-end without asking for their help.
Roy C Jones
The 4th Quarter Check List – Have your “monthly donors” been sent the best appeal of 2011?
It doesn’t matter whether you call it a pledge program, recurring gift program, monthly giving program, sustainer program or preauthorized gift program it is the same technique and, as you know, they all add up to a huge additional revenue stream for every organization or charity.
The 4th Quarter Check List – Golden Week 2011 – Are You Ready?
By any metric or system of measurement in fund development the last week of the year is by far the most profitable week for any not-for-profit organization. I often refer to this week as “golden week”.
Major Gifts & Capital Campaigns- Not The Same
Capital campaign donations usually happen from people outside the charity’s donor base. That is right… new donors.
“INTEGRATION” is the Key to Meeting Major Donors
The day of single channel communication is over. If you are just using the telephone to schedule meetings STOP IT! Rest assured, I am not saying to stop using the phone, but what I am saying start using the phone AND OTHER COMMUNICATION TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES.
Sometimes the truth works…
Your supporters do not give because you are successful, or because you are a great manager, or because you have met your quarterly budget…
Legacy Giving in the 4th Quarter
“When you get to my stage in life you begin thinking about your footprints,” said the gentleman, “It is not about what you keep, but what you can give away… It is not about how much money you make, but what you can do to keep impacting the world after your time is up… you have to leave some footprints.”
Can You “Think” Like a Development Director?
Great development directors are relentless in their quest for the next big idea… they never drop an appeal in the mail without knowing what the next appeal will be to energize their donor base.
Sometimes Ugly Works…
SOMETIMES UGLY WORKS. Rest assured what gets an envelope opened is uniqueness. If it is too slick or too pretty it reeks of “junk mail”. I have seen successful acquisition campaigns mailed in a brown, paper bag, literally. I am not kidding. I have seen envelopes that I just said, “yuk”… and guess what they lifted response rates.
“Where have my donors gone… let’s see, did I remember to say thank you?”
Of the individuals who stop giving to your organization, according to Judith Nichols of Pinpointing Affluence Research, only four out of 100 former donors actually move away or die;
15 have decided to make their gifts to other organizations;
15 are unhappy with your organization;
66 think you don’t care about them.