Jul
27
2018
Is Using a Sad Photo Manipulative?
I have spent many blogs writing about emotions — how you need to have emotion in your case, your direct mail letters, and your canvasses. I...
Jul
20
2018
5 tips to mine your database for upgradable donors
I have often said that most charities do not need to find more new donors to add to their database in order to raise funds, rather...
Jul
13
2018
Lead with emotions
Fundraising is an activity full of emotions. So many folks out there focus on the cerebral — tax benefits, mechanics of donating, etc. To put it...
Jul
06
2018
Hmmm… The numbers don’t add up!
I have a degree in Statistics (7 out of 10 folks say this is neat, btw.) One of the first things I learned is that statistics...
Jun
29
2018
Should you Limit the Number of Direct Mail?
There is not a more contentious issue in fundraising out there than Direct Mail. There are camps that say you aren’t mailing enough, while there are...
Jun
22
2018
What if our charity disappeared tonight?
Presumably, every charity out there has a raison d’être — a reason for being. (And the reason for being is never about raising money — that is merely...
Jun
15
2018
Empowering kids through fundraising
A few weekends ago, it was a flurry of activity in our household — I chose to participate in the Manulife Ride for Heart cycle event...
Jun
08
2018
Go find some great board members
In Joan Garry’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership, she spends a lot of time talking about getting the instructions correctly before going out on the task of recruitment...
Jun
01
2018
Becoming one of many
One of the recurring themes that I have written about is the notion of mining your database and focussing less on donor acquisition. I said less,...
May
25
2018
What is the likely size of a first time donor?
The quick answer is 5 ft 10 in., but I jest. The fundraising legend himself, Jerry Panas. reported in 2017 “When Harvard did a study after their...