In theory, a newsletter can be a great way to engage with your donors. In reality, that doesn’t often happen because most donor newsletters can be used as a cure for insomnia. They’re too long and filled with boring articles that brag about how wonderful the organization is. A newsletter is a vital part of the ask, thank report, repeat formula and you can’t just go through the motions. The good news is it’s possible to create an engaging newsletter your donors will want to read. Here’s what you need to do. Think about what your donors want You need to include content that will interest your d ..read more

A common problem with nonprofit communication is that it’s not focused on why something is important. There’s usually a lot of what and how, but not much why. The typical fundraising letter and newsletter article rambles on about accomplishments without explaining why something matters. Some organizations also like to pour on the statistics. These numbers don’t mean much without more information. As you work on your messages, you need to dig deep into why something is important. Think of a four-year-old who keeps asking “but why?” over and over again. Why is what you do important? Here’s some ..read more

It’s spring here in the Northern Hemisphere, although in the Boston area it doesn’t feel like it right now.  A lot of people use this time of the year to do some spring cleaning. I envy the people who do that because usually I’m not one of them.  I know I should do more. As much as I dislike cleaning and organizing, I’m happy once it gets done. Often getting started is the hardest part. Your nonprofit organization may be putting off some version of your own spring cleaning and decluttering. It’s important to make some time to tackle these so-called cumbersome tasks. Just think how h ..read more

In my last post, I wrote about potential missed opportunities for donor engagement. You may think you’re practicing donor engagement by sending thank you letters and an e-newsletter, but is the content actually engaging? It’s often formulaic and just downright dull. Many nonprofits send all their donors the same appeal and thank you letters. In these letters, they never thank a donor for their past support or acknowledge they’re a monthly donor. If that’s not bad enough, many of these letters use vague and impersonal language and even worse, jargon. It sounds obvious, but your donor engagemen ..read more

Donor retention is a perennial problem for nonprofit organizations. Many organizations spend all this time and energy on acquiring donors, concentrating more on volume and don’t seem to be concerned that they’re churning through different donors year after year. Just like the flowers and plants in your garden, you need to give them care and attention.  You should be keeping track of your retention rate. If you’re losing donors, it could be because you’re either not communicating enough or communicating poorly. Fortunately, this is something you can fix, but donors don’t magically donate ..read more

You may be familiar with the Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat formula in fundraising. If not, you should be. Organizations that follow that tend to be more successful.  Many organizations just practice Ask, Ask, Ask. If that’s the case for you, are you raising the money you need? Because what’s most important is to thank and report before you ask for another donation. Going a step further, fundraising expert Penelope Burk recommends seven touches before asking for another gift. Of course, formulas are good in theory, but you can’t just go through the motions. Some organizations practice Ask, B ..read more

Time for a quick quiz (don’t worry it should be easy).  What’s the problem with “annual reports”? A. They’re too long. B. They’re boring. C. They focus too much on the organization and not on the donors. D. They require a lot of time and effort from staff and there’s no guarantee donors will even look at them. E. All of the above If you answered E, you would be right! This poses a dilemma. Organizations need to share accomplishments and show gratitude to their donors, but is the “annual report” the way to do that?  First, let’s stop calling it an annual report and call it an impact ..read more

We all like to feel appreciated and that includes your donors. Thanking your donors should be a priority for your nonprofit organization. Is that the case? Unfortunately, the answer is usually no. Thanking your donors is not just something you do after you receive a donation and then do nothing for a while. You need to show gratitude all year round and with Valentine’s Day coming up, that’s a great opportunity to thank your donors and show them how much you appreciate their support. Maybe you would rather not go the Valentine’s Day route, which is understandable, although Valentine’s Day ..read more

Monthly giving is one of the few types of fundraising that did well last year. If your organization doesn’t have a monthly/recurring giving program or it’s fairly small, what’s keeping you from starting or growing your monthly giving program? Whether you’re a big or a smaller organization or you had a good fundraising year or you didn’t, monthly giving makes so much sense (or cents). In this post, I’ll tell you why monthly giving is important for your nonprofit, how to start or grow your program, and how to nurture it going forward.  Monthly giving helps you raise more money Monthly or r ..read more

Why does making a donation often feel like a transaction? Organizations get so caught up in the raising money part that they forget about building relationships with their donors. Giving Tuesday is the worst example of this, with Year End close behind. Generally, it happens way too often. Remember this – Building relationships is just as important as raising money.  The concept of relationship fundraising has been around for a while, even though it’s not always put into practice. Many nonprofits seem focused too much on meeting their revenue goals, which don’t get me wrong, is important ..read more