Direct Mail Packs For Nonprofits
I hope you were convinced from one of my earlier blogs that direct mail for nonprofits is still the most effective way to generate donations from your existing donors and generate new donors. The next question you might ask yourselves then is how often and how can you best reach out to your donors, so they’ll be […]
How Should You Treat Your Monthly Donors on Giving Tuesday?
As you’re getting ready for Giving Tuesday — or the campaign season starting before Thanksgiving — this question comes up often: Should I include my monthly donors in my Giving Tuesday campaign? My answer is: Yes! Absolutely, BUT… Why do I recommend including your monthly donors? Because this is an exciting time to give, and […]
Supercharge Sustainer Retention from Face-to-Face Fundraising
Part One of a Two Part Guide: Boosting Donor Retention From Day One – Top 10 Tips for Professional Fundraising Agencies By Paul Tavatgis & Sherry Bell, Professional Face-to-Face Fundraising Association and Erica Waasdorp, A Direct Solution. Introduction Face-to-face fundraising is one of the best ways to inspire people to make an ongoing and sustained […]
How Can We Unconfuse Monthly Donors?
As a monthly donor, I support many organizations. Frankly, until I sit down at the end of the year to prepare for my taxes, I don’t even know how many great nonprofits I give monthly to. Organizations I support fall into the categories of animal welfare, environmental advocacy, human services and religion. I have a […]
5 Ways You Can Add a Monthly Giving Ask to Your Appeals
If you’ve heard me speak or read some of my blogs, you already know that I always advocate for the following: The more opportunities you offer donors to give monthly, the more monthly donors you will find! But for most organizations, there is always that fine line of having to bring in one-time short-term funds […]
Monthly Giving Hindsight Is Always 20/20
As I’m getting ready for my second cataract surgery this week, it has started to dawn on me the tremendous eye-opening results I’ve already experienced from the first one. For me, going to the beach and swimming in the ocean was never an option, because I wouldn’t be able to find my spot unless there […]
You Can Make Recurring Gifts From Your Donor-Advised Fund
Donor-advised funds — a lot has been written about it. Especially with the changes in tax laws, more and more donors have “flocked” to it. Just a few quick facts about donor-advised funds (DAFs): You don’t need to be super rich to start one — $5,000 is all it takes. A DAF is easy to […]
Someone Just Called to Say They Cared…
This post is a bit more personal than you may be used to, but this is a very interesting time. I’m very nearsighted, and I’ve had glasses since I was a little girl. Yes, I was one of those kids with jelly jars, and I sure got teased a lot. But that changed last week […]
When and How Do You Record Monthly Gifts Financially?
This question also came up at the recent sustainer workshop, and I know it’s something people struggle with, especially when you talk with your treasurers or finance folks. Monthly gifts are different from the major gift pledges most organizations are used to. Those pledges are typically set up for a specific purpose with an end […]
4 Things to Consider When Setting a Monthly Donor Goal
At the recent Bridge pre-conference sustainer workshop I co-hosted, one of the attendees asked this question: “What is a realistic goal for monthly donor percentage as a percent of active donors?” Let me explain why there’s no one good answer to this other than that the current typical nonprofit has between 5% to 30% of […]
