Say, Think, Do

Actions speak louder than words. In other words, intentions establish expectations but actions create results. In many cases, results are the only way a donor can ensure their gift is being used in the way they want and producing the outcome and value they expect.

Donors will give based upon what you tell them will […]

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Engaging Donors

Passionate donors want to be engaged in your mission. When they are engaged, their generosity and loyalty increase.

Just starting the cultivation process with a donor will make them more engaged. Starting the process tells the donor they are important. Donors want to know they are important to your mission and clients because your […]

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Questions to Cultivate Donors with

Donor cultivation starts after you meet a prospective donor and are confident they want to know more about your nonprofit. This is the same model you use when cultivating a long-time donor.

Start with an open-ended question about your clients, mission, the last story in your newsletter, or something else related to your nonprofit, mission, […]

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In Pursuit of Engaged Donors

Here are five things you can do as part of your cultivation to increase donor engagement:

Clarity – Donor generosity depends on donors having a clear idea of what their gifts will do. If your donors are disappointed by what their gifts accomplish, there are two possibilities. One is to provide your donors with a […]

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Brand Strength and Fundraising Ease

Is your mission’s brand the same as the brand your services create?

The strength of your nonprofit’s brand depends on two things. One is how well the promises of your mission statement are aligned with the solution your services deliver. The second is the robustness of your solution. The generosity, loyalty, engagement, and speed of […]

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More Committed Donors

Search for something and you find dozens of it. Google and Amazon make easy examples. Identical items are available from multiple sources with similar prices. In addition, there are many slightly different items with similar prices. The selection decision becomes limited to cost and delivery date.

Loyal consumers will overpay for items periodically. Therefore, consumers […]

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What It Means to Be Donor Centric

Donor centric means the donor is at the center of everything that happens. The first priority must be for your nonprofit to be mission centric. The second priority is for your nonprofit to be client centric. The third priority is for your nonprofit to be donor centric. Putting mission first, clients second, and donors third […]

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Listen to Donors, Hear New Ideas

Clients and donors are sources of funds for most nonprofits. Therefore, there are times when the best way to treat one group is also best for the other group. Because there are some differences, there must be some variations in the process. This article and its companion articles about clients and students highlight the differences […]

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What People Hear, What People Experience

When fundraising, ensure people hear what you are intending to say. Frequently what is said is heard differently than what the speaker intended. Since the lives of your clients are dependent on donor generosity, ensuring that donors hear your message is very important.

Donor engagement depends heavily on the donor’s experience. Ideally, that experience includes […]

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Model Your Donors’ Behavior

Encourage positive behaviors in your donors by ensuring your nonprofit models them. Here are a few that many nonprofits could use to increase donor generosity if they modeled the behaviors to their donors:

Breadth – Donors demonstrate breadth by supporting more than one nonprofit. They want your mission to also have a broad impact. They […]

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