24 Dec Happy Holidays!
“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...
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.
17 Dec Membership Surveys and Renewals
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...
10 Dec Events Need Goals
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,...
03 Dec Holding Onto Perspective
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...
26 Nov How Much to Ask For in Your Appeal Letter: One Consultant’s Take
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...
19 Nov More Money, Fewer Donors, and What You Can Do About It
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...
12 Nov How to Start a Major Gift Program in 2020 – The January Donor Planning Meeting
Posted at 10:05h
in Donor Cultivation, Donor Stewardship, Fundraising Planning, Major Gift Fundraising 1 Comment
12 November 2019 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....
05 Nov Race Does Not Appear to Affect Giving Amounts (and Other Short Items)
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...
29 Oct Keep Sending the Appeal to Lapsed Members?
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...
22 Oct Rally Reflections 2019
By David Allen, Development for Conservation With the 2019 Rally (the national land conservation conference) now firmly in our rearview mirror, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to deliver training content that makes a difference. And I mean “for the organization” more so than “for...