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 If you graduated from a college, you know that the Alumni Association from your alma mater started calling you and writing you about ten minutes later. And in return for your annual gift, you get a copy of the Alumni...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation Kate and I are moving soon, and we need your help – well actually you and your truck. On Saturday, a bunch of people are coming over to help carry boxes and furniture from our old house over to the...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation If you accept the premise that fundraising through the mail, email, or phone is a science – a behavioral science – then you should be reading a blog called The Agitator. It is written by scientists about the science of...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation Dis ci pline: control gained by enforcing orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior (Adapted from the online Merriam-Webster dictionary.) Here’s a TRUTH sequence to start your day today: If you include planned giving and family foundations, individuals account for more...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation When I was first learning about major gift fundraising, the “must-see” teacher of the craft was Bill Sturtevant. He and the late author Jerry Panas ran the consulting practice called the Institute for Charitable Giving. Both Sturtevant and the Institute...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation I get asked about crowdfunding, and other forms of social media campaigns a lot. I have an opinion, which I am not shy about sharing, but my essential answer is this: “Sure, if you are doing everything you can to build...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation Your land trust probably uses events for all sorts of reasons. You might have an annual “olly-olly-oxen-free” member meeting. Maybe an annual fundraising event, gala, or auction. Maybe an event just to show donors how much you appreciate them. And then...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation Planned gifts can be a game changer for your land trust when they come in unexpectedly and are not restricted by the donor. Ninety-plus percent of all planned gifts are bequests or named beneficiaries on various insurance policies. So, if you...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation As I reported in my study of five-year values, (see 5Yr Value: The Metric that Tells You the Most About Your Fundraising), organizations with a higher-than median five-year value (2014 donors) tended to be actively engaged in raising money (from...
By David Allen, Development for Conservation Last week I attended the Pennsylvania Land Conservation Conference about an hour up into the Poconos from Scranton. (Gorgeous spot!) One of the rules I live by is to always attend a workshop on social media and fundraising if I...