Last week, I received an Annual Report from a former client. On the inside of the front page was a letter, and it broke so many rules, I thought I’d doctor it up as a case study and share a “before” and “after” with you....
People who donate time and not money are wonderful volunteers. People who donate money and not time are wonderful donors. We need wonderful board members to do both....
Aside from the every-four-years political craziness, the presidential election in 2016 will present some challenges for your fall appeal planning as well. The bottom line is that few people will be paying attention to renewal or seasonal appeal letters around the election. There will be...
If your organizational goals depend on having more members than you have now, you should consider investing in direct mail recruitment. The best approach is a solid strategy consistently applied over a period of years. Be predictable, and you will cultivate loyalty over time....
For most land trust organizations, I don’t recommend big assertive planned giving programs. It can get too complicated too quickly, and 8/10 planned gifts are either bequests or beneficiary designations. It’s quite easy to market such gifts passively. Also, the management of any of the...
Fundraising planning should always start with the program goal. Starting with the program goal does not necessarily imply that every goal is attainable, but starting there is important. The program goal is a “net” goal for fundraising; that amount needed to run the programs and...
May officially starts on Sunday. Are you ready? What is on your To-Do List for May? Here’s what I’m thinking about: My Second Spring Appeal Letter: I want my donors to give to the organization twice each year, once to renew their membership, and once...
How do you balance what the “experts” tell you (four-page letters) with the siren call of being green enough to not waste paper and hip enough to have it designed by a professional PR firm? MUST we keep mailing to people who don’t and won’t...
So how do you secure sponsorship donations year after year? How do you “renew” them? There is a foolproof secret, and I’ll reveal it...
It means we don’t need “token” people of color on our Boards as much as we need people who can connect us in meaningful ways to communities of color and agree to do so. It also means we need to look beyond just skin...