In the third quarter of 2014 one of my clients -- a small hunger and poverty relief organization -- began implementing a middle donor engagement strategy that included phone calls, handwritten thank...
5 Questions Every Fundraiser Should Ask Each Day
In today's world we all move so quickly and have so many competing priorities. I find that if I'm not intentional about asking myself a few critical questions each day,...
Why #HungerActionMonth Is Important To Me
September is Hunger Action Month in the U.S. It's a special time of year when Food Banks all across the United States, in conjunction with Feeding America, ask Americans...
WEBINAR: Maximizing the Middle
Middle donors, like middle children, are often overlooked. Most nonprofits have defined major gift programs, and annual giving programs for lower level donors. Very few, however, spend the effort to...
Google Grants vs. Paid Search Campaigns
Sometimes otherwise smart fundraising consultants give bad advice. I saw that happen last week. A senior-level consultant from a typically reputable fundraising agency completely missed the mark on digital strategy....
Your donors are tired of being crappily asked
Last month Marc A. Pitman wrote on the myth of donor fatigue. Something Marc said stuck with me, and hit home like a hammer when I got an email solicitation...
Should you include a reply envelope in your thank you letters?
I get this question all the time! And I’m sure there are a lot of people who will disagree with me on this topic. My standard response to development directors...
The danger of nonprofits chasing discounts
A few years ago one of our nonprofit clients fired our firm because they found another fundraising agency that quoted them a cheaper price for their direct mail services. This other...
Fundraising Myth Busters: Hope gets better results than need
Welcome to the seventh and final installment of my Fundraising Myth Busters series. I hope you’ve gleaned some valuable information that you can put to work to raise your organization...
Fundraising Myth Busters: Major donors shouldn’t get direct mail
This is a widely believed fundraising myth. It’s one that I personally hear at least monthly – if not weekly. The thinking is that because major donors give more money,...