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 Things would be so different if they were not as they are. - Anna Russell Jeff Brooks posted a guest blog by Christiana Stergiou speculating on the unquantifiable – opportunity costs. An “opportunity cost” is the amount of money we leave behind...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation If you’re like me, you won’t be mailing your appeal letters and/or renewals after this week and until after the election. If you’re like me, you will calculate that the national mood will be seriously distracted by the election. I...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation In my groups and workshops, I always ask how many people are First Timers. It gives me a chance to repeat my best advice for newbies: Rally (and any conference) can be overwhelming the first time. Your job then is to...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation Whether we understand and acknowledge it, or not, we all have an interesting relationship with neuroscience, neurolinguistics, and neurolinguistic programming. These terms describe the possibility that how human beings react to certain decision-making triggers can be studied and understood. Many of...
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...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation I spent a lovely week last week in McAllen, Texas, at the Summit conference for Nature Center Administrators. I learned a lot and met some terrific folks involved in nature education all over the country. Among the many stories I heard,...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation OK, so let’s talk about Fundraising Metrics. As I mentioned last week(See On Metrics, Data, Information, Science, and How We Use Them – Part 1), I will be doing a workshop on Fundraising Metrics this year at Rally. What to count....
By David Allen, Development for Conservation For several months now, I’ve been talking about the fact that I will be doing a workshop on Metrics this year at Rally. Fundraising Metrics, that is. I am, and have been, particularly interested in learning more about what we...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation One of my current clients is the Bayou Land Conservancy in Houston. They have launched a well-branded monthly giving program called Land Lovers. For a pledged monthly donation of $15 or more, members get a couple of T-shirts and invitations...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation My Plan B this year starts on November 13th. Years ago now, I organized a hand-written letter party for the Board. We had seventy-something prospects who had given $250 or more last year and we were launching a $1,000 giving club....