Archive for the ‘Donor Cultivation’ Category
Religious Fundraising
Posted by JBA in Donor Cultivation, Faith-Based Giving, Technology on October 12th, 2009
Here’s an excellent article for anyone involved in fundraising for a faith-based organization:
www.nptimes.com/instantfund/09Oct/IF-091008-1.html
How Full Is Your Glass?
Posted by JBA in Campaign Planning & Management, Donor Cultivation, Fundraising in a Recession on September 15th, 2009
In today’s challenging fundraising environment, I am continually reminded of the old saying “is your glass half full or half empty?” Viewing your challenges as opportunities for positive change classifies you as a “glass half full” person. We should all be striving for a “full glass of opportunities” if we are to be successful at our jobs in today’s world.
I don’t know about you, but I have very little room in my life these days for the glass half empty person. They steal my energy and passion for my work. They create a sense of negativity in meetings and planning sessions when they say we cannot raise money now and maybe should not even be trying! I cannot imagine encouraging our clients to stop fundraising because times are tough – we just need to think of new opportunities that will boost our efforts right now and into the future.
So, given that I am definitely that “glass full to the top” person, what are some of the opportunities where we can focus our energies with the ultimate goals of stabilizing our resources and raising more money?
Here is what fills my glass these days: (Click to Read)
A Remarkable Act of Generosity
Posted by JBA in Boards & Leadership, Donor Cultivation on August 18th, 2009
“[W]hatever you do … don’t ever forget that people always come first. If you pay attention to them and show that you care every bit as much about them as you do their philanthropy, well, truly wonderful things can happen.”
We have all heard about donors making million-dollar-plus gifts and the impact such generosity had on the recipient charity. In America, this generosity is evidenced regularly with hundreds, even thousands of million-dollar gifts occurring annually.
Like most fundraisers, I think about what truly motivates a person to give that much away and what I can do to see about getting such a gift for my clients. There is no doubt that a worthy organization with a particularly compelling need can be successful in attracting seven-figure gifts. But, I have found over the years that almost as important is taking the time to get to know your donors and paying particular attention to “the little things.”
Tweet-Tweet … hey … Blog-Blog
Posted by JBA in Donor Cultivation, Nonprofit Marketing, Technology on July 28th, 2009
A friend had just returned from Dell Social Media Boot Camp and was sharing some ideas. She’s smart, stays current with the latest marketing trends, and sits on some high-profile nonprofit boards. When My Friend speaks, I listen. We talked about how nonprofits want to engage in social media, but are largely behind the curve in their ability to “drive the discussion,” and unsure of who is their market, message, or how to use the tools to connect with donors.
Not so with one organization My Friend serves as a board member. This well-run performing arts organization that hosts national productions “under the stars” is blogging and twittering to patrons about everything from upcoming performances, to special ticket opportunities, to pre-show dining opportunities weather, parking and road closures. They have a “Behind the Curtain” show on YouTube with an engaging 3-minute piece that tells the theater’s history and takes you onstage to learn about how shows are produced.
How do they do it, you ask? For the ??-something’s for whom Tweet-Tweet, Blog-Blog conjures up more of a familiar Donna Summer tune than a way to connect with friends and associates, that is the challenge.
This group smartly invited a couple of local philanthropists to invest in an internship program where two 20-somethings tweet and blog ’round the clock. They bought a couple of mini web cams to produce the material that populates their YouTube channel page. They invite patrons and donors to “Connect with Us” on their website (right above “Support Us”), have their mission posted on YouTube and Tweet Twitpics of concerts so absent fans can catch a glimpse of the action: Jacks Manniequin just stepped onstage. Not too late to catch the show. .. Next up, The Fray.
OK, so you’re not a performing arts organization with a mission and programs that relate easily to Twittering. We all have missions that we care about deeply and a whole host of issues surrounding those missions. You have something to say. And if you have a laptop and the Internet, you have the tools to engage in the conversation. How are you doing that?
Comment and let us know how you are (or aren’t) using social media to further your mission and connect with donors.
Well Planned Donor Communication Includes Non-Solicitation Messages
Posted by JBA in Donor Cultivation on July 15th, 2009
The recently released Giving in Kansas City report cited the number #1 reason (68.9 %) respondents stopped donating to previously-supported organizations was “frequent appeals.” The number #2 reason (61.2%) was that they “lost connection” with the organization. I find it interesting that the top two reasons for declined gifts involve communication with donors.
In a recent webinar I attended, Rita Galowich, President of Fund Inc®, a strategic partner of Jeffrey Byrne & Associates, Inc. told attendees that taking care of your donors translates to sending correspondence separate from solicitations. She emphasized the need for nonprofit organizations to keep donors up-to-date on organizational current events and to thank donors for their support the old fashioned way – call them! In combining frequent communication with strategically planned appeals, organizations may be able to maintain and even build donor support year after year!