10 Things I Learned From 30 Years in Sustainer Giving, Part 2
In a previous article, I shared the first two things I learned during my 30 years of working on sustainer programs. Most of this is not rocket science, but it’s important to keep in mind when you’re looking to grow or retain your sustainers. Here are my next two lessons. 3. Operations Is Your Friend When […]
Add a Monthly Gift Ask to Your Welcome Email Series
At a recent conference, I finally had a chance to meet some of the NextAfter folks in person. We talked about “The Nonprofit Recurring Giving Benchmark” study from NextAfter. It’s now a few years old, but I have a sneaky suspicion that the organization is working on something new and I can’t wait! Its research on digital activities is […]
How Are Recurring Donors Doing in This Economy?
You may know that I used to work at an international nonprofit, where we focused on monthly giving in some seven countries. The number of recurring donors, or committed givers as they call it in the U.K., was the largest. That’s why, to this very day, I still like looking at trends in other countries, […]
Are You Ready to Panic Yet?
Change is inevitable, but nobody likes it — me included. What doesn’t change is that every year around this time, fundraisers are starting to get overwhelmed. Some are even starting to panic. Why? Because the holiday giving season is almost here. And every year, the giving months seem to creep up on us sooner than […]
Recycle, Reuse and Repurpose Creative
Whenever I get a box for a delivery, I look at the size and see if I can reuse it for something else. Can I ship a care package to a nephew who’s deployed? Could I ship something to our kids or grandkids? Well, the same applies to fundraising and direct response. I’ve been doing […]
How to Ask for an Extra Gift From Your Monthly Donors
One of my copywriter friends asked me: “Do you have a recommendation for how much to ask a monthly donor, when sending them a year-end appeal asking them to make a special year-end gift? I’m wondering if the right amount to ask the donor is the amount they give monthly?” As you’re getting ready for […]
How Is Fundraising Like Tangled Wires?
Have you ever wondered why wires have a tendency to tangle up in ways you’d never imagined when you put them away? I always marvel as to why this happens. I put my computer cables or my phone charging cord in my bag and it never comes out the way I put it away. It’s […]
Is There Room for Monthly Giving in Your Fundraising Appeals?
Earlier this week, a copywriter friend of mine asked a great question. And I’m sure many of you are struggling with this same predicament. Here’s her question: Often a strategy calls for including so many offers in one direct mail fundraising appeal — the basic ask, maybe a matching gift, sometimes a push for monthly […]
How Can You Better Understand Your Donors?
As you know I’m focused on working with nonprofits to help them grow their individual donors and monthly donors to higher levels. That’s why I’m always on the lookout for new statistics and trends in giving, especially for those groups. Needless to say, when I heard about a wonderful new study from Neon One, called “Donors: Understanding […]
Can You Upgrade Your Monthly Donors to Higher Levels?
The smallest deed is better than the grandest intention.” This anonymous quote is yet another example of my theme of the last few weeks: It’s not about the size of the monthly gift amount. It’s about the fact that you’re giving your donors the opportunity to make a difference in an amount they can afford. You […]
