Practical strategies for building a fundraising program that lasts — stronger donor relationships, smarter operations, and transition-ready systems. In your in-box, every other Wednesday.
Everyone's invited (and that's the problem)
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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 everyone. But here's what they're missing: while they're worried about finding new donors, they're actively losing the ones they have. A few weeks ago, I got a postcard from an organization we've supported for several years. Milestone anniversary celebration – everyone's invited. Plus, would we make a birthday gift? Beyond post-gift thank you letters, nothing we've received from the organization has recognized us as donors or partners in the work. Same open house invites. Same mass emails. Same everything. We'll keep giving because we believe in the mission. But it made me wonder: Does our financial partnership actually change how they see us? If you take a look at the numbers, it’s clear I'm not alone in asking that question. When everyone gets the same experience and the same generic messaging, you're unintentionally communicating: Your gift doesn’t change the way we see you. Donors don't need fancy. But they do need different. Why? Because they've opted in. They've said "I'm aligned with your mission" when they made their gift. That's a partnership. 4 ways to treat donors like partners: 1. Offer experiences just for them 2. Create space for deeper conversations 3. Layer your messaging 4. Acknowledge giving changes The result? Donors who feel seen and valued don't just give again. They increase support. They volunteer. They bring others in. That's what partners do. Everyone gains when donors have a different experience. How are you showing donors they're partners - and not just names on a list? |
Built to Raise
Practical strategies for building a fundraising program that lasts — stronger donor relationships, smarter operations, and transition-ready systems. In your in-box, every other Wednesday.
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,...
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...
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...