Curiosity. Authenticity. Accountability. Three elements that help turn transactions into meaningful donor relationships. And my plan was to dig into what these look like in action... until a client coaching call reminded me that the first step is actually making room for them. Which is often the the bigger struggle for smaller fundraising shops. Because teams are busy. Planning the next event. Writing the annual report. Preparing for the board meeting. And somewhere in all of that, the phone...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Quick question: If one of your campaign donors called asking for details on their pledge form from three years ago, would you be able to answer that request right away? Or would you have to call them back so you could search for it? If the answer is anything other than "of course, it's attached to their record in the CRM" - you've got a documentation issue. I see this on repeat as I dig in with organizations as an interim. Pledge forms saved as hard copies in campaign folders. Check images...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Yesterday on LinkedIn I shared the 'unusual' strategy we used for a 300-person fundraising event – along with a moment leading up to it that made me VERY nervous as a new director of development. Based on views, shares, and saves, I can tell it made people curious. You can check that out here (and add your thoughts!). When I wrote it, I was thinking about the small fundraising shops in the trenches right now, prepping for their big annual gala. They are a LOT of work. And often the strategy,...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Happy new year! (I can still say that, right?) January is when most development teams finally catch their breath after the year-end sprint. Rightly so. But here's what often happens: planning takes priority, and thank-you calls get pushed to February, then March. Donor check-ins fall off the list entirely. And before you know it, it's April and you haven't had meaningful conversations with more than a handful of donors who gave last year. The challenge? When follow-up becomes a December-only...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Taking time off in December feels impossible, right? 'Someone needs to be in the office, just in case.' In my early days of fundraising, this was the holiday mantra. I'm guessing it sounds familiar. And there's some truth to that. 10% of annual gifts come in during the last three days of December. You can't disappear. So we'd alternate days on site while the rest of the team was on vacation. Thankfully 'in office' isn't what it used to be. If you're a larger organization with a physical...
4 months ago • 1 min read
December is here, which means your inbox is probably exploding and your to-do list feels impossible. The good news? Most of it can wait. This month, the priority should be two things: gifts and gratitude. Everything else goes on the list for January. Whether you have a full team or are in the middle of a staff transition, focusing in will help drive results - and prevent burnout. Focus on GIFTS. Your printed appeal has landed in mailboxes, Giving Tuesday has passed, and year-end emails are...
4 months ago • 1 min read
It happens in big shops and smaller ones. By staff and sometimes even board members. Often it's excused as wanting what's best for the donor and the organization. Gatekeeping donor relationships. And it's one of the clearest signs an organization will struggle to keep fundraising moving during a staff transition. When everything flows through one person, you're one resignation away from starting over. The staff left behind don't know the donors. The new hire inherits names in a database, not...
5 months ago • 2 min read
"They already made a gift this year. Pull them from the list." Heard that one before? Maybe you've even thought it yourself as you're pulling together your year-end mailing lists. A donor who made a 'big' gift, or just gave recently in the last few months. I get it. You don't want to seem greedy or ungrateful. But here's what I've found: Donors expect to hear from you at year-end. Your current donors are the ones most likely to open your letters and emails. They actually enjoy reading the...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Here's a pattern I see way too often: Organizations that send the same generic messages to everyone. And invite everyone to everything. Donors. Prospects. Random people still on the email list from 2015. Sometimes this is a data issue – contact info is missing or gift entry is inconsistent. You can't segment what you haven't tracked. (If that's you, fix this first.) But sometimes? Organizations are just afraid to seem exclusive. They don't want to 'waste' an opportunity by not inviting...
6 months ago • 1 min read