Fundraising is an art form. It’s also a science. And there’s power – real power – in the art of the thank you. A recent study, Learning to Say Thank You: The Role of Donor Acknowledgements, authored by Jen Shang, Adrian Sargeant, Kathryn Carpenter, and Harriet Day, shows just how much your acknowledgement program means to the success of your organization’s individual giving program.
Surprise, surprise, surprise. Measuring nonprofit effectiveness using the overhead ratio doesn’t work. Study: Widely Used Nonprofit Efficiency Tool Doesn’t Work.
I love *before* and *after* examples, don’t you? What’s In My Mailbox with A 68% increase in funding with this “before” and “after” fundraising appeal.
Before the end of year gifts start pouring in online, spend some time reviewing your thank you email. Another *before* and *after.*What’s in my Inbox.
How do you know if your nonprofit is keeping up? Wise words from Claire Axelrad and Guidestar. 5 Strategies to determine if your nonprofit is keeping up.
Are You Maintaining the Wrong Organizational Structure? A must-read from Richard Perry of the Veritus Group. And pay close attention to Richard’s priceless comments on events.
If you’re sloppy about gratitude, you’re apt to lose donors hand over fist. Bloomerang with ideas of how to head off donor retention problems.
Seth Godin reminds us that it’s systems that matter.
Are you Stuck in an annual appeal dead end? New from Mary Cahalane.
Learning Opportunities
How do you know when your organization is ready for a strategic plan? In my work with thousands of small to mid-sized nonprofit organizations, I’ve found that the biggest problem holding them back is rarely a lack of quality training. Quite simply, it’s because the organization doesn’t yet have a strategic plan in place.
With our latest Basics & More™ class, Strategic Planning Simplified, you’ll emerge with a renewed sense of clarity and direction for your organization. You’ll have the tools in place to inspire your board, your staff, and your funders to new heights. You’ll be better equipped to know when an *opportunity* really is, and you’ll transform your nonprofit to create lasting change. Learn more and enroll.
The email came in yesterday: “our end of year fundraising has declined ever since we stopped direct mail and went to only email.” In fact, this organization lost a whopping 2/3 of their year-end fundraising when they ceased using direct mail. I’ve been hearing from a lot or organizations who have yet to write their end-of-year appeal or are still working on it. That’s why we’ve reopened Direct Mail Masterclass | Basics & More™. You could double or even triple the results of your next appeal and the entire class is available for immediate access. Learn more and enroll here.
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I can’t wait to meet with you personally.
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