16 Sep Independent Review of Development Systems Can be Helpful
Similar to a financial audit, or an academic peer review, the Development Audit is an independent review of everything an organization is doing to raise money....
David Allen Tag
09 Sep See you at Rally!
Posted at 05:32h
in Board Development, Communication, Featured, Membership, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments
Next week is Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference in Providence, Rhode Island. Anita O’Gara and I will team up to present The Surprising Secrets of Direct Mail Success on Friday. Peter McKeever and I will present A Board for All Seasons, which we like...
02 Sep Resist Replacing Paper Newsletters with ENews
Posted at 17:34h
in Communication, Development Audit, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Uncategorized 0 Comments
If you switch off your printed newsletters in favor of electronic substitutes, you will lose members and donors....
26 Aug A Dozen Rules for Writing Better Fundraising Letters – Part 2
Posted at 05:51h
in Board Development, Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Staff Development, Uncategorized 0 Comments
Last week I wrote the first half dozen rules for writing better fundraising letters this fall. I based it in part on an excellent book that Jeff Brooks wrote several years ago that I wish I had written: A Fundraiser’s Guide to Irresistible Communications. This...
19 Aug A Dozen Rules for Writing Better Fundraising Letters – Part 1
Posted at 07:26h
in Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Plans and Budgets, Uncategorized 0 Comments
Jeff Brooks wrote a book several years ago that I wish I had written: A Fundraiser’s Guide to Irresistible Communications. Based on his information, coupled with my own experience, I have a dozen rules to live by this fall. Here are Rules 1-6. Check back...
12 Aug Digital Marketing
Posted at 05:40h
in Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Plans and Budgets, Uncategorized 0 Comments
Raise money first. If you suck at raising money, investing time and energy in digital marketing will not help. It will only distract you from getting better at raising money....
05 Aug Four Things You can Do in August to Raise More Money This Fall
Posted at 06:04h
in Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Membership, Plans and Budgets, Uncategorized 0 Comments
You can get out ahead of this November stress factory. Plus, you can probably raise more money in the process. Here are four things you can do right now that will help: 1. Write your fall fundraising letter NOW; 2. Get your mailing list ready...
29 Jul Lessons on Inspiration from a Hiker
Posted at 05:12h
in Communication, Donor Cultivation, Featured, Plans and Budgets, Uncategorized 0 Comments
There’s a lesson here for land trusts. Instead of being limited by how few people we know or who support our current work, maybe we are getting the level of support our current vision will attract. Maybe if we put a bigger vision on the...
22 Jul The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Fundraising Board Members
Highly Effective Fundraising Board Members: 1) Understand the goals; 2) Know the organization’s donors; 3) Interact with donors in person and over the telephone; 4) Support each other’s fundraising efforts; 5) Use personal stories; 6) Keep good records; and 7) Practice. ...
15 Jul Is Wealth Screening Worth the Money?
BEFORE you pay for Wealth Screening, ask yourself whether you are prepared to use the information. How? Are you prepared to “cold call” the donors identified by the screen? Build relationships with them? Discover their specific interests? Ask them for money? Do you have a...