Communication

13 May Because: That’s Where the Money Is!

Posted at 08:30h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership 0 Comments

In the end, fundraising is about personal relationships. Done well, the relationship is between the donor and the organization, but every relationship begins between two individuals. And 90 percent of fundraising comes down to how well you’re doing at building those relationships. Maybe instead of “fundraiser”...

31 Mar Anonymity isn’t Necessarily Friendly

Posted at 09:26h in Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership 0 Comments

A land trust was recently confronted with a peculiar problem. A major donor with a keen and personal interest in protecting a specific piece of property offered an enabling gift equal to, and restricted to, the entire purchase price of the property. The gift amount...

03 Dec December is for Saying “Thank You”

Posted at 17:42h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership 1 Comment

Are you as engaged in fundraising as you should be? If not, December is a great month to change that – by saying thank you. Making calls to donors and members carries the twin benefits of increasing their connection to the organization and increasing...

17 Jul Thinking (or Rethinking) Membership Systems

Posted at 12:02h in Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership 0 Comments

Most organizations, including land trusts, tend to default to a monthly membership cycle. However, managing such a system for organizations with fewer than 2,000 members or so is inefficient for staff whose positions are not solely dedicated to it. There are alternative systems that can...

02 Apr Fundraising-speak

Posted at 14:54h in Communication, Featured 0 Comments

As a practical matter, most smaller organizations need a Marketing Plan and a Fundraising Plan. The Marketing Plan should include elements of branding and especially visual identity, but the effort and resources should be very strongly focused on bringing new people under the tent. The...

22 Nov AHA Moments from the 2011 Land Trust Alliance Rally

Posted at 10:34h in Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured 0 Comments

I thoroughly enjoyed your seminar at the recent Rally and wanted to share with you an "AHA" moment that I have had since returning from Milwaukee. ...

25 Oct Taming the Social Media Monster

Posted at 13:37h in Communication, Featured 0 Comments

Consider starting with a single, time-limited campaign that’s very specific. This is pretty good advice. Tie your blog, Facebook posts, and/or tweets to a single topic (phenological events for example, or a work party or other volunteer event) over a specific, limited period of time....

04 Oct Are You Communicating Wins?

Posted at 03:10h in Communication, Featured, Membership 0 Comments

At the very moment in history when government leaders are turning to non-profit organizations to pick up the slack from defunded programs, foundation giving is declining, corporate support is flat, and ten percent of individual philanthropists say they will quit giving altogether until the economy...

02 May Excellent Newsletters

Posted at 11:08h in Communication, Featured 0 Comments

As a consultant, I end up seeing a lot of newsletters. Many are excellent. Some are good. A few need help. Along the way, I have assembled the following list of aspects I find common to many newsletters I consider excellent. Excellent newsletters use line drawings...

10 Feb Newsletters, Envelopes, and New Members

Posted at 11:28h in Communication, Membership 0 Comments

Last week, I posted about looking at gift memberships and member-get-a-member campaigns in a new way, and I offered some ideas about how to get the most out of these activities as “acquisition” tools. You can find that post here. This week, I have another...