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.
By David Allen, Development for Conservation One way of looking at evaluating fundraising program health is to evaluate four of the underlying systems that serve as components: Marketing systems that bring new donors to the table; Renewal and Upgrade systems that bring donors to the $250...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation Start again. January of another year. 2019 is over. History. Fa, sol, la, ti, Done. And January brings us ‘round again “to Do.” 2020 yawns before us. It could be anything. What will it be for you? January is a good time for reflection....
“Devoted though we must be to the conservation cause, I do not believe that any of us should give it all of our time or effort or heart. Give what you can, but do not burn yourselves out -- or break your hearts. Let us...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation My mother and her husband recently moved from Estes Park, Colorado to Portland, Oregon. In celebration and support, my wife and I bought her a membership in the Oregon State Parks Foundation, a day-use parking sticker for their car, and...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation Events are part of fundraising. From field trips to galas, we are in the event business as much as we are anything else. Which means (at least): pre-planning, logistics, permissions, venues, caterers, invitations and reminders, site volunteers, parking concerns, nametags, photography,...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation It’s the most wonderful time of the year. I’ve heard that 70% of the money given away each year is committed just four months: October, November, December, and January. If that’s true, then most of that 70% comes in just six...
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...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation A few years ago, I added my speculation to everyone else’s about how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) would affect charitable giving in the U.S. (See How will Tax Reform Affect Donor Giving in the Future?) We don’t need...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation Major gift development isn’t hard. It’s a discipline. And it’s scalable. So just start. Let movement create momentum and let momentum create habit. It starts in January, and it could start for you in January 2020. You can do this for ten donors. You can...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation I have three short offerings this week, beginning with this new study: A study released in March by the IUPUI Women’s Philanthropy Institute and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy feels important to me, and I think you’ll feel the same...