By David Allen, Development for Conservation I’ve had the opportunity to review several appeal letters in recent weeks - comes with the job. And I’m still surprised that so many fail to ask for money. The request is implied, to be sure, but it is not explicit. Somewhere...
Or - Ask your favorite Fundraising Consultant By David Allen, Development for Conservation From My In-Box This Week: I enjoyed your presentation at Rally (despite the fire alarm). And I have a question for you: A fundraising coach once told me that if someone has received our annual appeal...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation I don’t have enough time! There are two problems with taking that statement on its face. The first is that it is almost never literally true – there is usually plenty of time. We’re just using it to do other things. A...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation This week, I want to tell you about Scotland. The first island we visited was just ten miles long and two miles wide. Its name is Colonsay, and it was the ancestral home of the MacPhee clan – as in...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation If you accept the premise that fundraising through the mail, email, or phone is a science – a behavioral science – then you should be reading a blog called The Agitator. It is written by scientists about the science of...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation Earlier this year, I posted the results from my annual survey of conservation organizations and their 5-Year Value of Membership. At that point in time, I had data from twenty different organizations, and the median value was $1,100. This means...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation You know, right now, every member who will be renewing this year (assuming that you have members who renew every year). You know what they gave last year and when. And you know, or could easily decide, what you will...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation As you probably know, Alaska residents receive a check in the mail from the State of Alaska, representing a distribution of oil royalties earned during the year. It’s called the Permanent Fund Dividend and has ranged from $300 to more...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation From my In-Box this week: I still get a lot of one-page letters with graphics and donation tear-off sections at the bottom. In fact, I donate to these groups and lean towards this letter because it is short, concise and to...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation We know that people give from the heart. We know that their decision to give is an emotional one. And sometimes irrational. Donors may decide what to give and when to give and even where to give to – using their...