This is the third post in our series on reaching out to new prospects. So far, we've tackled the inner game and we've set up a process that will guarantee a full pipeline for the foreseeable future. If you haven’t yet, I’d suggest taking a few moments to read the first two posts in the series. It’s now time to send some emails and make some calls! … [Read more...] about Outreach #3 – Email Scripts
Outreach #2 – A Winning Process
We've all worked with them. You know who I’m talking about. Gift officers who come in, start off well enough, but then completely flame out. Sure, they cultivate a handful of donors, and maybe land a major gift or two. But, they only ever get knee deep into their portfolios before sputtering to a stand-still. They’re gone in a little less than two years – off with another organization, repeating this same pattern. … [Read more...] about Outreach #2 – A Winning Process
How We Boosted Donor Retention to 71%
Churn is the enemy. We've all seen the grim donor retention stats from AFP’s 2013 report. Working hard to acquire donors and then losing them a year later is frustrating – and costly. At a previous stop on my fundraising journey, I worked for a small school that had a churn problem, particularly with alumni giving. We were at 60% retention. And we knew that, as a private liberal arts college, we should be doing better. All our peers were. … [Read more...] about How We Boosted Donor Retention to 71%
The Donor Pyramid Debate
The donor pyramid has found itself in the middle of some heated debate these days. Check this out: R.I.P. Donor Pyramid? http://t.co/lxRikqrFID #fundraising — Claire Axelrad (@CharityClairity) June 6, 2014 Is The Donor Pyramid Really Dead? An Open Letter to Claire Axelrad from Andrea Kihlstedt http://t.co/YbQ5qDa8Qn via @GuideStarUSA — Andrea Kihlstedt (@AndreaKihlstedt) June 25, 2014 Yes, The Donor Pyramid is Really … [Read more...] about The Donor Pyramid Debate
Fearless Outreach
I love visiting with potential donors. Breakfast, lunch, drinks, dinner, their office, their house, the club, their boat (true story), doesn’t matter. My happy place is out of my office. And my nightmare is a visitless week spent at my desk. Or in meetings. But, for as much as I like being out, seeing people, I don’t always like asking for visits. Makes sense, right? Fundraising is a lot like dating. And asking someone out (especially … [Read more...] about Fearless Outreach