COMMUNICATION IS THE ASK
Welcoming Submissions for Penelope Burk’s Donor-Centered Communications Project Two critical points of contact determine whether donors stay loyal or quickly abandon your cause after giving only [...]
A Fundraiser’s Most Valuable Prospect Research
Dear Louise: When I realized you had graduated in 1993, I just had to check the records. Yes, you were indeed in my first-year chemistry class in 1989. You were there on the first day of the [...]
In Donor Acquisition, Donor Attrition, Donor Research, Donor-Centered Fundraising, Fundraising Events
Posted Can Your Walk-a-Thon Still Work During Covid-19?
There are some amazing stories in the news lately about determined, isolated runners completing a marathon on their treadmills, or carving out a route inside their apartments or even running back [...]
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Fundraising in a Crisis
At times like this, when my financial situation is threatened…it is difficult to trust my heart. My head gets in the way and tells me to be practical and hold back. Collectively, if we all do [...]
In Board Members / Leadership Volunteers and Fundraising, Donor Research, Donor-Centered Fundraising, Thanking Donors
Posted Just Do It? No. In Fundraising, You Have to Do It Right
Why just any kind of thank you call, done whenever, by whomever is not donor-centered and likely won’t work.
Why In Memoriam Donors Don’t Give Again
Why In Memoriam Donors Don’t Give Again Commonly accepted thinking in fundraising is that it’s not worth trying to renew in memoriam donors because they give for a reason that has nothing to do [...]
Your Brand Is Worth $X; But the Value of Your Case Is Limitless
Early in my fundraising career, I specialized in corporate sponsorship. Negotiations with potential sponsors invariably came down to justifying the price for an alliance with my not-for-profit’s [...]
In Board Members / Leadership Volunteers and Fundraising, Donor Relations, Donor-Centered Fundraising
Posted Influence is a Tool, Not a Reward
Recently, the Burk Donor Survey featured a report on why alumni do or do not give to their alma maters. I was intrigued to discover how big issues such as student debt or rating their education [...]
In Burk Donor Survey, Donor Acquisition, Donor Attrition, Donor-Centered Fundraising, Fundraising, Fundraising Events, Giving Tuesday, Thanking Donors, Young Donors
Posted Finding New Donors in a Changing Giving Environment
In my previous blog, “Is Giving Tuesday Helping or Hurting Fundraising”, I referenced how this fundraiser is contributing to the over-solicitation of active donors and risking their future [...]
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Is Giving Tuesday Helping or Hurting Fundraising?
It’s been five years since the first Giving Tuesday, and as fundraisers are celebrating its highest returns ever, the cracks are beginning to show. Our research is revealing a not-so-attractive [...]
