What to Do When Your Agency Doesn’t Want to Ask for Monthly Gifts
Sadly, I still hear about direct mail and digital agencies and consultants that don’t see the value of monthly giving. A friend of mine, a nonprofit fundraiser, sent me this email recently: “My agency is against monthly giving. We asked for it to be added in house appeals, and the agency says, ‘We’ll test it […]
How to Honor Recurring Donors on Their Birthdays
May is my birthday month, so I’ve been tracking what’s coming into my mailbox and email inbox from friends, family, businesses and nonprofits. Birthdays are very powerful opportunities to recognize your recurring donors, yet not that many nonprofits do this. In my mind, birthdays and anniversaries are dates that should be part of your monthly […]
Charity Navigator’s Kevin Scally Talks Recurring Giving Stats and Trends
Donors don’t just give to any organization. They do their research. I’ve seen statistics showing anywhere from one-third to three-quarters of prospective donors go to the organization’s website or check out charities’ backgrounds, missions and ratings on watchdog sites, like Candid (formerly known as Guidestar), Charity Navigator, and Charity Watch. I reached out to Charity Navigator after seeing some stats […]
3 Recurring Giving Predictions for 2023
A new year. New opportunities. A renewed focus on donors, mission and impact. To kick off 2023, here are my top three recurring giving predictions for 2023: 1. Offering Donors the Easiest Way to Give The No. 1 reason why monthly donors give is because they want to help, so it’s up to you to […]
Recurring Gifts Rocked It on Giving Tuesday
The results speak for themselves. Giving Tuesday 2022 saw a 15% increase in dollars raised compared to 2021 with $3.1 billion in total. Wow. If you rocked the results for your Giving Tuesday campaign, congratulations. If you didn’t, there’s always next year and end of year. If you don’t ask, you’re certainly not going to get it. […]
10 Things I Learned From 30 Years in Sustainer Giving, Part 5
As a fundraiser, your life is not easy. There are days when you wonder why you’re doing it all. There are days where you’re just Zoomed out. You can’t possibly think about yet one more event, one more direct mail campaign, one more Giving Tuesday or other giving day campaign. The stress is huge. There […]
7 Nonprofit Holiday Bloopers
My husband and I love going to the movies. Even during the pandemic, we tried to go if the movie theater was open. We were often the only two in the theater. We just love seeing new movies on the big screen. Instead of rushing out quickly at the end, we usually stay for the […]
What Can You Do for Donors During Thanksgiving Week?
It all comes down to the mindset of no gift is too small. No gift should ever be overlooked, especially during these difficult financial times. If someone sends you $5 in cash, they may not be able to do more, but they want to make a difference with what they can afford. I know you […]
10 Things I Learned From 30 Years in Sustainer Giving, Part 4
I’ve shared six of my top sustainer giving lessons so far. Today, I’ll get to the heart of sustainer giving, and probably the hardest lessons for nonprofit leadership. 7. Be Patient and Think Long-Term If you talk to those organizations that are most successful with sustainer giving, they all have a long-term focus. I know […]
10 Things I Learned From 30 Years in Sustainer Giving, Part 3
I hope you’re enjoying this list of things to focus on when it comes to sustainer giving. So far, I’ve shared four things I’ve learned. Some I had to learn the hard way but certainly they can benefit any and all fundraisers. Here are lessons five and six. 5. Challenges Are Opportunities A prime example […]
