8 Tips to Help Clear Up Confusion Around the Pending Mastercard Regulations
If you’re tired of reading about the new Mastercard regulations, you’re probably not alone. A great thank you to The Nonprofit Alliance that helped get the extension to March 21, 2023 and clarified that nonprofits do not need to send postal receipts if they do not have a donor’s email address. But there was still a ton of […]
Be Cautious When You Transition to a Different Sustainer Processor
There is an important new trend I’m seeing where nonprofits have to or want to transition from one recurring donor processor to another. And I’ve heard horror stories about the number of sustainers a nonprofit can lose if the organization doesn’t do it right. The transition can be from one donor database, or constituent relationship management […]
Recycle, Reuse and Repurpose Creative
Whenever I get a box for a delivery, I look at the size and see if I can reuse it for something else. Can I ship a care package to a nephew who’s deployed? Could I ship something to our kids or grandkids? Well, the same applies to fundraising and direct response. I’ve been doing […]
What’s Love Got to Do With Fundraising?
Turns out love has everything to do with fundraising. Relationship Fundraising 3.0 from the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy proves it. I had the pleasure of meeting Adrian Sargeant, co-director and co-founder of the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy, many years ago, when he was still working in the U.S. He was one of the foremost researchers on customer […]
How to Ask for an Extra Gift From Your Monthly Donors
One of my copywriter friends asked me: “Do you have a recommendation for how much to ask a monthly donor, when sending them a year-end appeal asking them to make a special year-end gift? I’m wondering if the right amount to ask the donor is the amount they give monthly?” As you’re getting ready for […]
New Mastercard Regulations Could Harm Recurring Gifts Unless You Take Action Now
You may or may not yet have heard about this. Some of the communication from Mastercard may have gone to your donor base CRM, your payment processor or your finance department. In June, Mastercard introduced new guidelines with specific rules for all subscription payments, which nonprofit recurring gifts currently fall under in Mastercard’s definitions. These […]
Does Your Nonprofit’s Anniversary Count as Special?
One of my copywriter friends asked me this question: “My client’s organization is having a milestone anniversary. How can I use a sustainer program to leverage donations?” Recently I discussed the use of special days to promote recurring gifts or for stewardship. However, typically, anniversaries are not really donor-focused. The donor doesn’t really care too much […]
Use Special Days to Your Advantage
As a fundraiser, you never stop learning. I’m certainly no exception. That’s why I love co-presenting with fundraisers from nonprofits because I always come away with some new ideas. A few months ago, I co-presented with a young fundraiser from a great organization, totally on board with monthly gifts and she had created an awesome […]
Monthly Giving Continues to Be Strong Among Older Donors
As prices go up and inflation is a reality, are you worried about what’s going to happen with monthly donors? I’m right there with you. That’s why I was excited to see Enthuse’s “Donor Pulse Report: Summer 2022,” based on a survey of 2,008 donors in the United Kingdom. General economic trends are remarkably similar, so it’s a good […]
What Can Your Nonprofit Do With Just $1?
A few months ago, I went to a conference where they had an actual bookstore. It was great and fortunately I had a big suitcase in which to carry some books home. There, I found a little book called “What Can You Do With Just $1?” written by Teresa Vasilopoulos, the executive director of the WoodGreen Foundation, a […]
