We should all stop using first-person possessive determiners in our writing. And they are so easy to avoid. Avoiding “my” is a no-brainer. Avoiding “our” is only a little more difficult, because “our” could theoretically include the reader. Avoid using “our” when you mean the...
People give stuff and do stuff around every one of us all the time that is neither earned nor necessarily deserved on our part. They do it because, in some way, it makes them happy....
Every donor who responds with a gift – regardless of size – represents a win, because you are not only raising money for this year. You are making it more likely that they will give again next year, and again and again....
In the absence of a five-year mission budget, supporting fundraising goals have no context. As a result, Marketing, Membership, and Fundraising goals often end up vague, arbitrary, and insufficiently supported themselves....
Save the impact specifics for a mid-term report to your donors. Reports back all the great things – from loppers to newsletters, to educational workshops, to easements and direct land conservation – that they did with their money. You will engender loyalty. You will improve...
If you don’t have a fundraising plan that is donor specific, consider this exercise: Make a list of all of your calendar year 2024 donors and what they gave cumulatively last year. Also list what they have given cumulatively this year to date. Take note...
In fact, for the vast majority of people you have met during the years since your actual “birth” day, your annual celebration doesn’t even register. Even for those who care about you a lot. They care about who you have become. What you’ve done. And...
Charity A’s letters remind them of what they gave last year and ask them to give a little more this year, even specifying a target amount. How does the land trust’s renewal and appeal letters compare? And how much is each organization receiving from them...
Board members should be asked to attend events to work. If they wish to buy a table, if they wish to buy tickets, if they wish to sponsor – so be it and thank you very much. But even directors who can’t or don’t pay...
If we had asked our donors to consider a pledge of $500,000, we might not have gotten it, of course, but we would have improved our chances of getting $250,000 or even $100,000. When we failed to give the donors a clue, they chose an...