INDUSTRY INSIGHTS YOUR PEERS ARE READING
Similarly, estimates of donor retention—that range from horrible to abysmal—have made me wonder, “ If a direct response message lands in a person’s mailbox/inbox and they don’t pay attention, are we really communicating? ”. But donors and prospects aren’t impressed. MORE
If an organization hasn’t implemented a system to encourage sustaining support, they might be relying too heavily on assuming donors will respond to frequent solicitations. Annual Fund Direct Mail Fundraising Sustained Giving Online Fundraising MORE
When it comes to fundraising, having the right information about your donors is critical. How much time do you spend prospecting for donors? Sending the wrong type of donor the wrong message at the wrong time is bad for your whole list. MORE
What do donors really want? Many of us “know” what donors don’t want – too much mail and email, phone calls, overloading their Facebook feed, boring events, too many asks for money. So, what do donors want? How do these examples of loyalty relate to donors? MORE
Whether big, small or mid-sized, nonprofits are looking for ways to better understand donors and focus their fundraising on creating opportunities for donors to support the particular causes and interests they care about. “Meet your donors where they are,” she says. MORE
Still, donors want to be delighted and feel connected to the organizations they support. That means prompt acknowledgement letters, hand-written notes for major gifts, and regular phone calls of gratitude to new donors. Direct mail is not dead …but it is going through a mid-life crisis. MORE
The giving spirit is high, and donors want to know how they can contribute to the causes that they care about. Your organization needs to do more than simply ask your donors for contributions. Retain more donors. Your data, after all, provides insight into your donors. MORE
Direct mail and direct response, annual fund, special campaigns, major donors and event donors and participants form the back-bone of your planned gift prospect pool. Explore simple ways to engage your event donor in the planned gift conversation. MORE
Do you know why your donors give? Unless you ask your donors directly, your gut instincts are merely opinions. A well-crafted donor survey delivered in a savvy way can provide the facts you need to make smarter fundraising and marketing decisions going forward. older donors). MORE
Snail Mail Still Works for Thank You Letters : Do you send a thank you letter by mail after receiving a donation online? Of course, the donor who gives online (and there are more of them all the time), does receive an immediate emailed thank you. That is built into the online donation system, whichever one you use. npOnline NPThankYouLetters MORE
Online fundraising has also proven to be an extremely effective donors acquisition vehicle. Let’s take a look at some fundraising ideas – the fifteen most effective donor acquisition and online fundraising techniques used by top nonprofits. 13) Give Donors Something Nice. MORE
With that great online success, does direct mail still have a future in fundraising? Research shows that direct mail is alive and well and has an important fundraising future. What is changing is the centrality of direct mail to the marketing mix. While Matures rely on direct mail, 77%, as their primary giving channel, only 54% of Boomers, 43% of Gen X and 26% of Gen Y report giving through the channel. We have to meet the donor of the future where they are.". MORE
Both are founders and CEOs of consulting agencies that focus on how nonprofits can more effectively communicate with supporters to grow their members and donors. Perhaps you have their name, but not their phone number, mailing address or email address. MORE
How do your donors feel about you? Better yet, it seems like a good question to ask your donors once in a while! Average first year donor retention rates of 27% would suggest that donors don’t have the best feelings about the nonprofits they’re supporting. MORE
Many nonprofits don’t know their donor data. If we don’t know our donor data, how can we effectively plan a fundraising appeal? Combat the challenges of donor retention? So, how do we know that nonprofits don’t know their donor data? What’s worse, DONOR data degrades faster than most any other type of data. Because donors are people, and people’s lives change. Answer: only what is stored in the donor database. MORE
In the second installment of the Blackbaud Institute’s Sustainers in Focus series —research-backed best practices for marketing, promoting, soliciting, and fulfilling a sustained giving program— Best Practice # 1 was to ask new donors to give on a monthly basis. Call Your Donors. MORE
Now it’s time to build a direct mail piece that has the same outcome. But even if you have the best offer, there’s much more that goes into a direct mail piece to make it effective. Step One: Understand Direct Mail. What other questions do you have about direct mail appeals? MORE
The first time a potential donor engages with your community foundation may bear some resemblance to a first date. Fortunately, as in today’s dating world, technology can help smooth the transition for foundations and donors to go from “first date” to a long-term relationship. MORE
to learn more about the turn to online fundraising, the need for a multichannel approach and how direct mail is still alive and well. Online acquired donors are significantly younger, more affluent, and more generous than their offline counterparts. Donor Movement Across Channels. MORE
As nonprofits know well, preserving relationships with donors is imperative to an organization’s success. In philanthropy, the donor stewardship process begins with a donor’s first gift—the end point of the cultivation stage—and is a vital component of your donor retention strategy. MORE
donor retention rate in 2017. In other words, of all the donors who made a gift to a particular nonprofit in 2016, only 45.5% This unimpressive donor retention rate—one that hasn’t snuck north of 50% in more than a decade—hounds most nonprofits. TACTIC 1: AUDIT YOUR DONOR DATA. MORE
Tips for Using the Web, E-mail and Social Networking to Net Wired Wealthy Donors : By Abny Santicola : FundRaising Success: "In the session 'Taking Leadership Online: What's Hype and What Works in Online Fundraising' at Fund Raising Day in New York 2009 presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater New York Chapter in early June, presenters Nancy Haitch, deputy vice president MORE
More and more donors want to give to the causes they care about most through the click of a button and while on the go, instead of physically writing and mailing checks or donating only to “feel good.” This is especially true of the next generation of donors: Millennials. MORE
Direct mail is a major workhorse for all nonprofits. And regardless of what you hear or think about online giving, most gifts still come via the mail. This week guest blogger Gail Perry is back with her top tips to help us all raise more money by mail. Welcoming new donors. MORE
Relationship building with donors is an art. But we also know that there is a science to donor segmentation and the use of analytics. Perhaps it’s what makes some donors more generous than others. What do first-time $1,000 donors have in common in our data? MORE
All charities need new donors, just like all businesses need new customers. Studies tell us again and again: it is cheaper to retain an existing donor (or consumer) than to acquire a new one. My charity needs new donors. Donors can come from anywhere. MORE
Simply print it out and fill it in before you ask somebody to pull you a list from your donor database. Plus, check out more donor management tips and tricks before you pull your next campaign list. Donor Retention Featured MORE
On Sunday the cost of sending mail via the US Postal System goes up ( see exactly how much ). Certainly for those of us mailing things, this is a bummer but it doesn't mean we should stop our mailing efforts. Below is the first in a series of posts we'll be running here on Connection Cafe to help make your direct mail efforts more effective. Direct Mail + Internet = Integrated Success. Consider designing your direct mail with the following in mind: 1. MORE
Now, let’s talk about your donor database. Year after year you gather information about donors. Donors lapse. You keep mailing out newsletters and fundraising appeals. You keep adding new donors, new prospects and your mailing lists get larger. MORE
to learn more about the turn to online fundraising, the need for a multichannel approach and how direct mail is still alive and well. Online donor solicitations are powerful. The allure to both nonprofits and potential donors is obvious. The Surprising Truth About Online Donors. MORE
The majority of giving still comes from offline channels, but online fundraising continues to be a significant source for acquiring new donors. In fact, the dominate giving channel for new donors 64 years old and younger is online. MORE
Thousands ‘like’ idea Anderson Independent Mail : hat compulsion to communicate, check in and comment was good news for organ donation registries around the country, as many reported new donors signing up in record numbers via the new Facebook feature we told you about earlier this week. MORE
Direct mail seems to be a common way for nonprofits to promote their events and fundraisers. Who is receiving the direct-mail piece? Are they current donors? DON’T print all the information about your event in an expensive direct mail piece. MORE
Making a donor profile might be something that sounds reserved for larger nonprofit institutions with thousands of donors and prospects, a team of analysists, and a budget with room to spare. What is a Donor Profile ? How is a Donor Profile Used? A Donor Profile Example. MORE
This article was originally published on his Ahern Donor Communications blog. Tom is considered a top authority on how to increase revenue through donor communications around the world. _. Proposed: I am NOT writing direct mail to tell “a” story. MORE
I was hooked; after all, “warm-fuzzy” is what I feel like when I hear that donors responded with gifts to the direct mail copy I wrote or they clicked on the link for the eAppeal. Choose words and phrases that will resonate with your donors. MORE
T ransactional nature of the gift: A patient-donor might envision their first gift as a unique gift, a gift to be made only when they use the hospital, rather than multiple gifts to be made regardless of whether they use the hospital again; . Donors are more engaged and giving more. . MORE
Will peer to peer donors give again? Will they become organization donors? We’ve debated this topic for years and while jury’s still out on what to do with peer to peer fundraising donors; I think it’s time we started making some headway on this topic. MORE
For organizations of a certain size, buying your first dedicated donor management software marks a key stage in your growth. What is donor management software? Does my nonprofit need donor management software? A constituent timeline to show your donors’ engagement over time. MORE
And yet, there is one last statistic that makes fundraisers stay awake at night—the sorry state of donor retention overall , and especially retention of first-time donors. I suggest a nonprofit differentiates itself to its donors when it is: Genuinely personal. MORE
By focusing a little extra energy on your mid-level donors, you can raise more money and create a quality pipeline for your major gifts officers. How can we cultivate new donors while continuing to steward the supporters that we already have? So, who are these donors? MORE
In today’s digital age, it might seem somewhat nostalgic to talk about direct mail. While it’s tempting to default to cost effective communication channels like email and Facebook, direct mail is still very much in play. Today, direct mail continues to be an effective way to prompt donors to take action. Knowing the methodology has evolved, how do we cut through email clutter and reach donors in a personal way via their mailbox? MORE
When asked by organizations whether their online fundraising programs should focus on donor acquisition or donor retention, I say, “Yes.”. As a whole, the value of an e-mail address is $12.30, down 7% from last year’s $13.36. MORE
With the postage increase looming, you may be looking for opportunities to reduce your mail stream without reducing your net income. You might say ‘impossible’ but I am here to tell you that through the use of data analytics, nonprofit professionals can improve their segmentation strategy, reduce mail, increase return on investment and improve relations with donors. Author: Lynn Howes. MORE
Connection Cafe
JULY 26, 2017
As nonprofits know well, preserving relationships with donors is imperative to an organization’s success. In philanthropy, the donor stewardship process begins with a donor’s first gift—the end point of the cultivation stage—and is a vital component of your donor retention strategy.
Connection Cafe
NOVEMBER 19, 2015
Still, donors want to be delighted and feel connected to the organizations they support. That means prompt acknowledgement letters, hand-written notes for major gifts, and regular phone calls of gratitude to new donors. Direct mail is not dead …but it is going through a mid-life crisis.
NonProfit Hub
JUNE 20, 2016
Now it’s time to build a direct mail piece that has the same outcome. But even if you have the best offer, there’s much more that goes into a direct mail piece to make it effective. Step One: Understand Direct Mail. What other questions do you have about direct mail appeals?
Connection Cafe
SEPTEMBER 14, 2017
Making a donor profile might be something that sounds reserved for larger nonprofit institutions with thousands of donors and prospects, a team of analysists, and a budget with room to spare. What is a Donor Profile ? How is a Donor Profile Used? A Donor Profile Example.
Everyaction
FEBRUARY 5, 2018
In today’s digital age, it might seem somewhat nostalgic to talk about direct mail. While it’s tempting to default to cost effective communication channels like email and Facebook, direct mail is still very much in play. Today, direct mail continues to be an effective way to prompt donors to take action. Knowing the methodology has evolved, how do we cut through email clutter and reach donors in a personal way via their mailbox?
EveryAction
DECEMBER 7, 2016
The giving spirit is high, and donors want to know how they can contribute to the causes that they care about. Your organization needs to do more than simply ask your donors for contributions. Retain more donors. Your data, after all, provides insight into your donors.
Connection Cafe
FEBRUARY 14, 2017
When asked by organizations whether their online fundraising programs should focus on donor acquisition or donor retention, I say, “Yes.”. As a whole, the value of an e-mail address is $12.30, down 7% from last year’s $13.36.
Connection Cafe
FEBRUARY 23, 2016
Similarly, estimates of donor retention—that range from horrible to abysmal—have made me wonder, “ If a direct response message lands in a person’s mailbox/inbox and they don’t pay attention, are we really communicating? ”. But donors and prospects aren’t impressed.
AFP Blog
MAY 4, 2012
Thousands ‘like’ idea Anderson Independent Mail : hat compulsion to communicate, check in and comment was good news for organ donation registries around the country, as many reported new donors signing up in record numbers via the new Facebook feature we told you about earlier this week.
Connection Cafe
APRIL 11, 2011
On Sunday the cost of sending mail via the US Postal System goes up ( see exactly how much ). Certainly for those of us mailing things, this is a bummer but it doesn't mean we should stop our mailing efforts. Below is the first in a series of posts we'll be running here on Connection Cafe to help make your direct mail efforts more effective. Direct Mail + Internet = Integrated Success. Consider designing your direct mail with the following in mind: 1.
Connection Cafe
JULY 17, 2018
donor retention rate in 2017. In other words, of all the donors who made a gift to a particular nonprofit in 2016, only 45.5% This unimpressive donor retention rate—one that hasn’t snuck north of 50% in more than a decade—hounds most nonprofits. TACTIC 1: AUDIT YOUR DONOR DATA.
3rd Sector Labs
MARCH 1, 2015
Now, let’s talk about your donor database. Year after year you gather information about donors. Donors lapse. You keep mailing out newsletters and fundraising appeals. You keep adding new donors, new prospects and your mailing lists get larger.
Connection Cafe
FEBRUARY 23, 2017
Online fundraising has also proven to be an extremely effective donors acquisition vehicle. Let’s take a look at some fundraising ideas – the fifteen most effective donor acquisition and online fundraising techniques used by top nonprofits. 13) Give Donors Something Nice.
The Science Behind Engaging your Supporters
SEPTEMBER 21, 2018
By focusing a little extra energy on your mid-level donors, you can raise more money and create a quality pipeline for your major gifts officers. How can we cultivate new donors while continuing to steward the supporters that we already have? So, who are these donors?
Connection Cafe
APRIL 18, 2017
Relationship building with donors is an art. But we also know that there is a science to donor segmentation and the use of analytics. Perhaps it’s what makes some donors more generous than others. What do first-time $1,000 donors have in common in our data?
NetWits
AUGUST 8, 2012
to learn more about the turn to online fundraising, the need for a multichannel approach and how direct mail is still alive and well. Online donor solicitations are powerful. The allure to both nonprofits and potential donors is obvious. The Surprising Truth About Online Donors.
Connection Cafe
NOVEMBER 23, 2016
I was hooked; after all, “warm-fuzzy” is what I feel like when I hear that donors responded with gifts to the direct mail copy I wrote or they clicked on the link for the eAppeal. Choose words and phrases that will resonate with your donors.
AFP Blog
AUGUST 25, 2011
Snail Mail Still Works for Thank You Letters : Do you send a thank you letter by mail after receiving a donation online? Of course, the donor who gives online (and there are more of them all the time), does receive an immediate emailed thank you. That is built into the online donation system, whichever one you use. npOnline NPThankYouLetters
Connection Cafe
JUNE 26, 2018
Do you know why your donors give? Unless you ask your donors directly, your gut instincts are merely opinions. A well-crafted donor survey delivered in a savvy way can provide the facts you need to make smarter fundraising and marketing decisions going forward. older donors).
3rd Sector Labs
MAY 4, 2015
All charities need new donors, just like all businesses need new customers. Studies tell us again and again: it is cheaper to retain an existing donor (or consumer) than to acquire a new one. My charity needs new donors. Donors can come from anywhere.
NonProfit Hub
MARCH 1, 2019
For organizations of a certain size, buying your first dedicated donor management software marks a key stage in your growth. What is donor management software? Does my nonprofit need donor management software? A constituent timeline to show your donors’ engagement over time.
Connection Cafe
JANUARY 29, 2013
If an organization hasn’t implemented a system to encourage sustaining support, they might be relying too heavily on assuming donors will respond to frequent solicitations. Annual Fund Direct Mail Fundraising Sustained Giving Online Fundraising
Connection Cafe
AUGUST 29, 2016
What do donors really want? Many of us “know” what donors don’t want – too much mail and email, phone calls, overloading their Facebook feed, boring events, too many asks for money. So, what do donors want? How do these examples of loyalty relate to donors?
NonProfit Hub
JUNE 15, 2015
Simply print it out and fill it in before you ask somebody to pull you a list from your donor database. Plus, check out more donor management tips and tricks before you pull your next campaign list. Donor Retention Featured
Connection Cafe
FEBRUARY 11, 2011
With that great online success, does direct mail still have a future in fundraising? Research shows that direct mail is alive and well and has an important fundraising future. What is changing is the centrality of direct mail to the marketing mix. While Matures rely on direct mail, 77%, as their primary giving channel, only 54% of Boomers, 43% of Gen X and 26% of Gen Y report giving through the channel. We have to meet the donor of the future where they are.".
Connection Cafe
DECEMBER 9, 2013
When it comes to fundraising, having the right information about your donors is critical. How much time do you spend prospecting for donors? Sending the wrong type of donor the wrong message at the wrong time is bad for your whole list.
Connection Cafe
MARCH 7, 2013
Direct mail and direct response, annual fund, special campaigns, major donors and event donors and participants form the back-bone of your planned gift prospect pool. Explore simple ways to engage your event donor in the planned gift conversation.
Connection Cafe
AUGUST 2, 2018
T ransactional nature of the gift: A patient-donor might envision their first gift as a unique gift, a gift to be made only when they use the hospital, rather than multiple gifts to be made regardless of whether they use the hospital again; . Donors are more engaged and giving more. .
NetWits
JUNE 14, 2012
to learn more about the turn to online fundraising, the need for a multichannel approach and how direct mail is still alive and well. Online acquired donors are significantly younger, more affluent, and more generous than their offline counterparts. Donor Movement Across Channels.
Connection Cafe
APRIL 26, 2016
And yet, there is one last statistic that makes fundraisers stay awake at night—the sorry state of donor retention overall , and especially retention of first-time donors. I suggest a nonprofit differentiates itself to its donors when it is: Genuinely personal.
Connection Cafe
MAY 9, 2017
More and more donors want to give to the causes they care about most through the click of a button and while on the go, instead of physically writing and mailing checks or donating only to “feel good.” This is especially true of the next generation of donors: Millennials.
Connection Cafe
APRIL 12, 2011
With the postage increase looming, you may be looking for opportunities to reduce your mail stream without reducing your net income. You might say ‘impossible’ but I am here to tell you that through the use of data analytics, nonprofit professionals can improve their segmentation strategy, reduce mail, increase return on investment and improve relations with donors. Author: Lynn Howes.
Connection Cafe
DECEMBER 2, 2016
Both are founders and CEOs of consulting agencies that focus on how nonprofits can more effectively communicate with supporters to grow their members and donors. Perhaps you have their name, but not their phone number, mailing address or email address.
NonProfit Hub
AUGUST 17, 2015
This article was originally published on his Ahern Donor Communications blog. Tom is considered a top authority on how to increase revenue through donor communications around the world. _. Proposed: I am NOT writing direct mail to tell “a” story.
Connection Cafe
JUNE 2, 2014
Will peer to peer donors give again? Will they become organization donors? We’ve debated this topic for years and while jury’s still out on what to do with peer to peer fundraising donors; I think it’s time we started making some headway on this topic.
BoardAssist
DECEMBER 15, 2014
Direct mail is a major workhorse for all nonprofits. And regardless of what you hear or think about online giving, most gifts still come via the mail. This week guest blogger Gail Perry is back with her top tips to help us all raise more money by mail. Welcoming new donors.
Connection Cafe
FEBRUARY 11, 2015
Whether big, small or mid-sized, nonprofits are looking for ways to better understand donors and focus their fundraising on creating opportunities for donors to support the particular causes and interests they care about. “Meet your donors where they are,” she says.
Connection Cafe
FEBRUARY 11, 2016
The first time a potential donor engages with your community foundation may bear some resemblance to a first date. Fortunately, as in today’s dating world, technology can help smooth the transition for foundations and donors to go from “first date” to a long-term relationship.
AFP Blog
JUNE 23, 2009
Tips for Using the Web, E-mail and Social Networking to Net Wired Wealthy Donors : By Abny Santicola : FundRaising Success: "In the session 'Taking Leadership Online: What's Hype and What Works in Online Fundraising' at Fund Raising Day in New York 2009 presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater New York Chapter in early June, presenters Nancy Haitch, deputy vice president
John Haydon
JUNE 28, 2013
Direct mail seems to be a common way for nonprofits to promote their events and fundraisers. Who is receiving the direct-mail piece? Are they current donors? DON’T print all the information about your event in an expensive direct mail piece.
Connection Cafe
MARCH 23, 2014
How do your donors feel about you? Better yet, it seems like a good question to ask your donors once in a while! Average first year donor retention rates of 27% would suggest that donors don’t have the best feelings about the nonprofits they’re supporting.
Connection Cafe
JUNE 15, 2017
In the second installment of the Blackbaud Institute’s Sustainers in Focus series —research-backed best practices for marketing, promoting, soliciting, and fulfilling a sustained giving program— Best Practice # 1 was to ask new donors to give on a monthly basis. Call Your Donors.
3rd Sector Labs
JUNE 30, 2014
Many nonprofits don’t know their donor data. If we don’t know our donor data, how can we effectively plan a fundraising appeal? Combat the challenges of donor retention? So, how do we know that nonprofits don’t know their donor data? What’s worse, DONOR data degrades faster than most any other type of data. Because donors are people, and people’s lives change. Answer: only what is stored in the donor database.
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