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.
My Board is considering adopting a resolution that stipulates that 20% of every grant will be used for admin ...
“Hi. My name is David Allen, and I’m on the board of The ______ Land Trust. I’m calling to ask that you consider renewing your membership before the end of the year. You have been a supportive member for several years now, and I noticed...
Volunteers have three experiences when they work for you, and all three should be positive to keep them coming back and inspiring others to do the same. Each event coordinator can influence these factors with a little forethought and organization. ...
If you’re like me, you get more and more Thank You messages about this time each year. Somehow, by taking a little extra time with the writing, by seeing this exercise as more than a chore to get done on schedule, they managed to capture...
Now is a good time to think back on all the best things that were made possible because of the appeal donations you received last year, and collect the best ones and share them with your donors in January. Call them....
To be most organizationally helpful, the process of strategic planning should be used to unify board and staff engagement and create buy-in. The process is as important as the result. ...
Organizations with Boards who take personal and collective responsibility for fundraising are also stronger and more sustainable than those who don’t....
Why WOULD you want to ask someone to be on your board? Because they have: No fear in asking questions; Good listening skills; The ability to think strategically; The ability to think analytically; Good judgment; A sense of humor; and They are fully committed to...
This week, I’d like to offer an overall strategy for your membership, or annual giving campaign. Done well and consistently applied, this system has proven to build loyalty over time and raise steadily increasing funds for operations....
The 9th renewal letter still performs better than replacement efforts. I wouldn’t recommend that anyone use a nine-letter sequence as their core renewal strategy. Still, count me as a consultant who recommends that we not give up quite so easily on our individual donors. Don’t...