Proven strategies and techniques for improving your ROI in both acquisition and cultivation fundraising.
When you’re constructing a reason for your donors to give to your organization, it often comes down to a simple question: “Why does your organization need the money?” The answer to this question will be discovered when you identify what you and your donors are both passionate about making happen.
Direct response strategies are often structured around moments in time: holidays, emergencies, infrastructure needs, or when you pay your bills. As soon as our donors break the seal on that carrier envelope, it’s just a matter of time until the appeal is out of mind. But your newsletter shouldn’t be that way.
Whether you are looking to improve results on your direct response program or turn a downward spiral around, effective and affordable testing is your organization’s best friend. It can improve how you tell your stories and connect with donors—and can grow fundraising results exponentially.
Your own organizational story is one of the most important things about you: it defines and refines you, and it’s as up-close-and-personal as it gets.
It’s June already! Good grief! The year’s almost half over!!! For fundraisers you know what this means? It’s time to get ready for your all-important Fall Campaign. I’m sure you know that many, if not most nonprofit organizations receive 50-60% of their annual income during Q4.
Join us on May 16th at 12:00 pm CDT for a FREE webinar that will expose the most common killers of direct response success and the steps you can take to avoid getting caught.
We often hear clients use the words “Summer Slump,” a term they use to describe what can be a difficult time of year to fundraise successfully. With school out, people on vacation, and good weather, donors can be distracted, and supporting your organization’s cause may not always be top of mind. But summer doesn’t have to be a time when you’re barely meeting your budget.
Building a quality development program can take several years to complete. I’ve found that it doesn’t come overnight and there are few shortcuts, if any. Mostly it’s learning the tricks of the trade, using the right tools, and serving in the apprenticeship of time. It also requires having the ability to see the potential of something that perhaps others can’t see.
Your mid-major donors responded very well at calendar year-end, as well as the first few months of 2018. But what should you do to keep them from cutting back during the very critical summer months?
The answer is to give them special treatment now, so they feel really appreciated and that they are a critical part of your ministry. Even though mid-major donors can be classified differently from organization to organization, they should all be treated in the same way. Your extra effort will keep your ministry “top of mind” as you move into the summer months and encourage them to continue giving.
In this issue of Donor Focus we will be considering why this is exactly the right time of year to be finalizing your summer fundraising strategies . . . while you still have time
