Many people have stated that fundraising is just like sales, but with a conscience. The same principles apply and that good salespeople often make good fundraisers. I, too, have echoed that sentiment in the past and have even written a post or two about it. In the post, I said that one of the main differences between sales...
Continue reading...March 2019
Who should be Driving Fundraising?
I have stated many times before that I am a huge fan of Jason Lewis. He is really making some of us stop and think about how fundraising really works (or, more aptly, he is confirming some of our theories). Jason talks about different ‘lanes’ of fundraising — from transactional to mid-level to campaign and...
Continue reading...Do Donor Societies/Giving Clubs Work?
Giving Clubs/Donor Societies have been around as long as fundraising has been around. It is a proven way to steward donors, as well as create/confirm loyalty to your organization. I’ve seen giving clubs based on gender, based on dollar amount, based on years of donating and, of course, based on leaving a bequest. According...
Continue reading...Does Benchmarking Actually Help?
I fondly remember my time as a fundraising consultant (for churches, of all things) some 20-plus years ago. When I met with the boards, I would comfortably spout some statistics (hey, my degree is in Stats — I have to have some use for that!) Almost without fail, some board members would tell me how their...
Continue reading...What to do With In-Memoriam/In Honor Donors
I admit it. I read the obituaries daily. First, I check to see if my name is there. If it isn’t, I go to work. Seriously though, I always look for folks I know and see if anybody left direction to donate to the charity that I’m associated with. I’m seeing more and more...
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