This BLOG is intended to help conservation organizations and land trusts pursue excellence in all aspects of their conservation endeavors. I welcome your comments and feedback to these posts.
Appeal letters work best when their design is subtle. For example, black letters on a white background instead of white letters reversed out of colored backgrounds. Photographs are completely unnecessary – they distract readers from the “please give” message because they do not convey the...
Any 12-month giving data report pulled from the CRM should include the names of every Board member. But – I don’t think there should be a threshold minimum expected from any one of them. Everyone should give, just not based on some arbitrary standard. ...
People give because they believe their contribution will make a difference – because they have an opportunity to make a difference. People give because the organization’s values are aligned with their own....
The problem is about how the complainers make us feel. Their emotional response engenders emotional responses for us, too. Irritation, anger, shame, and self-doubt, among many others. And by “us” I mean including our Executive Directors and Board members, who have no problem getting in...
Whatever we can do to raise awareness that the human population of our continent dates back far more than 500 years, and that it wasn’t “discovered” in 1492, is worthwhile. Like seeing the planet for the first time from space (the Blue Marble) changes our...
I subscribe to the idea that we don’t need to convince anyone. We don’t need to educate anyone. We need to make it easier for people who are already convinced – who are already educated – to find us. And then we need to give...
My point is that in any given year, 60-75% of the money you raise in support of your mission will be given by donors giving $250 and more. That doesn’t make them more important people, but it does make them more important donors. ...
If your goal is to raise a specific amount of money, ask for more money. With some practical upper limitations, the more you ask for, the more you will make. Asking for $50 will result in more money raised than asking for $35. Asking for...
15 September 2026 By David Allen, Development for Conservation Ask for MORE this week. Conversations about how much to ask for always interest me. I’ve been raising money for most of 40 years, and in nearly every other sense, the fiscal fences have moved. $10,000 cars are now...
Renewal rate is a metric evaluation of your program. Pick a date on the calendar – the exact date shouldn’t matter as long as you are consistent. (I have always chosen January 9 to allow gifts intended for 12/31 to be fully counted.) Count how...