Monthly Giving Programs Are Like Eating Your Veggies
Recently, I was on Facebook Live with a colleague, and we were discussing some tips for growing monthly gifts. The question of why so many nonprofits are still hesitating about introducing monthly giving to their donors came up. It’s still a real mystery to me. It made me think of my childhood. My mom and […]
Book Review: ’10 Simple Fundraising Lessons’
Over the holidays, I took some time to finish a few books in my stack of fundraising books to read. Trust me, I learn something every time, and I’ve been raising funds for years. Cover image of “10 Simple Fundraising Lessons” by Jim Eskin | Credit: Amazon Jim Eskin wrote a book on simple fundraising lessons, and […]
Hope Smiles on You
At this time of year, I like to look back over the past year. It’s certainly been very different than any other year. For every single one of us. For me, 2020 meant minimal travel, more webinars, more screen time, more appeals, more emails, more writing and working harder than ever before. I’ve been busy […]
Monthly-Matching Magic
During this holiday season of giving, especially based on the recent success of #GivingTuesday, you can clearly tell there is something magical about using a match. Successful fundraisers have used matches for years and continue to use it. Why? Because it works! Nearly all of #GivingTuesday emails I received before, during and in the days […]
Encourage Donors to Give Through Donor-Advised Funds
You know I’m all for small monthly gifts, but two years ago I became intrigued with donor-advised funds, especially after I received some DAF-focused email newsletters from Jack Doyle from Amergent. I highly recommend reading them. Based on Fidelity’s “2020 Giving Report,” the number of donors who have a DAF has almost tripled over the past […]
Keep Up the Good Work!
Just a short blog this week, because I know you’re very busy–the biggest giving month of the year is just around the corner! Just a few more emails. Just a few more thank you letters. Just a few more… (you fill in the blanks). Just a few more weeks, and then the weirdest of weird […]
10 Creative Campaign Tips for Giving Tuesday 2020
Written by Mary Rybakova for Chatfuel This year’s GivingTuesday will be the most important one in history. For one thing, 2020 has been a tumultuous year for the world. It’s left us all in need of nonprofits and their essential work now, more than ever. But at the same time, the economic downturn caused by […]
A Monthly Giving How-To: Take Down the Silos
The last week of September = Sustainer month, I organized the first ever virtual Sustainer Workshop. About 40 fundraisers from all over the country, and even some from Canada, participated in the two-day workshop, looking at all stages of life for a sustainer. When I asked the question: ”What is your biggest challenge when it […]
A Monthly Giving How-To: Let’s Declare September = Sustainer Month
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of presenting about sustainers with Tina Hudgins, who worked at the International Justice Mission at the time. She shared how the organization typically did a monthly donor direct mail and email invite campaign (including upgrades) in the month of September. And they’ve been doing this ever since. […]
A Monthly Giving How-To: Asking Will Result in More Monthly Donors
Good thing we have an extra day this week. I had a stack of mail more than a foot high, and I just finished scanning the various appeals I would like to save in a folder to use for training or learning. Let me start with some good news: Many organizations have adopted the best […]
