First Thing Tuesday

09 Dec NOW is a Great Time to Call Lapsing Members

Posted at 05:41h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Uncategorized 0 Comments

“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...

02 Dec The Three Experiences Every Volunteers Needs

Posted at 05:52h in Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments

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. ...

26 Nov A Special Thank You

Posted at 06:10h in Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments

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...

25 Nov Plan Ahead to Say Thank You

Posted at 05:47h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments

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....

19 Nov Make Sure the Board is Involved in Strategic Planning!

Posted at 06:10h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Plans and Budgets, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments

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. ...

11 Nov ALL Board Members Need to Fundraise

Posted at 05:28h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Plans and Budgets, Uncategorized 0 Comments

Organizations with Boards who take personal and collective responsibility for fundraising are also stronger and more sustainable than those who don’t....

04 Nov Do We “Sell” Board Positions Without Meaning To?

Posted at 05:34h in Board Development, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Uncategorized 0 Comments

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...

28 Oct On Membership Systems – Part 3

Posted at 04:43h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Uncategorized 0 Comments

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....

21 Oct On Membership Systems – Part 2

Posted at 05:57h in Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Uncategorized 0 Comments

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...

14 Oct On Membership Systems – Part 1

Posted at 05:38h in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Plans and Budgets, Uncategorized 0 Comments

Q: How many times should you pester a donor?You should never (knowingly) “pester” a donor, period. The real question is this: “Where is the line between nuisance and helpful reminder?” I would answer the question this way: propose a target range for your renewal rate,...