By Jonathan Howard on January 21, 2015
Every time I sit down to write a fundraising letter, or one of these posts, I suffer a period of anxiety. I’m worried that readers will reject my writing. Reject me. At first my writing is flat, a collection of information and phrases with no life or meaning. But after a little while I get […]
By Jonathan Howard on October 29, 2014
Here six key objectives I set for every fundraising letter I write. I use these as standards to review and rewrite a draft appeal until I can’t improve it further. 1. Create a personal connection. Always use the first person singular (“I,” “me,” “my”), never the snooty-sounding, disembodied “we.” Talk to me as if we […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on October 22, 2014
October 29: Six Goals For A Direct Mail Letter by Jonathan Howard …six key elements for every fundraising letter – standards to use to review and rewrite a draft appeal until it can’t be improved further. November 5: Remind Your Donors to Give Stocks and Mutual Funds by John Elbare Stocks and mutual funds make […]
By Two Blog Contributors on August 20, 2014
1. Four Major Donor-Retention Sins by Jonathan Howard You know that the key to net gains and year-to-year growth of your direct mail fundraising lies with your donor retention rate. Helping first time donors become loyal friends can generate as much as an 80 percent return on investment. That’s a pretty great business model. But […]
By Two Blog Contributors on July 23, 2014
1. Is There A Role for Direct Mail in a Capital Campaign? by Hank Lewis First, a quick look at Direct Mail. But, since The Fundraising Blog currently has a Direct Mail Expert addressing that topic, I’ll be very general in my observations. Direct Mail is the tried and tested tool for Donor Acquisition – […]
By Two Blog Contributors on July 16, 2014
[Also introducing a new member of The Fundraising Blog family, K. Michael Johnson, who will be writing on the subject of Millennials in Fundraising — Those who are already part of the development world, and those who might become part of that arena.] 1. Millennials in Fundraising: An Introduction – Part I by K. Michael […]
By Two Blog Contributors on July 9, 2014
1. Understanding Donor Retention by Jonathan Howard In a prior post, we looked at a mailing designed to bring in new, first-time donors, a process called donor acquisition. Now lets’ talk about the other side of an effective direct mail program: keeping the donors you already have, called donor retention. I compare the interplay of […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on June 11, 2014
June 18: Reason and Emotion in Grant Proposals – Part I: Reason by Lynn deLearie Successful grant proposals are often carefully crafted using both reason and emotion. On one hand, proposals must, logically, show how non-profits will use grant funds to effectively…. June 18: The U.S.-Style of Fundraising Can Work in Other Countries – […]
By Two Blog Contributors on May 7, 2014
1. Evaluating The Chief Development Officer – I by Tony Poderis When it gets to be annual review time for your Chief Development Officer (CDO), no matter what his/her title might be, and you want to apply some criteria to measure her/his performance, what will drive you to say “Nice job,” or “You are not […]
By Two Blog Contributors on April 23, 2014
1. Keeping Your Bucket Full … With Direct Mail by Jonathan Howard Think of your current donor file as a leaky bucket you want to fill. This poses two separate challenges. You need to reduce leaks and add new water at the same time. If you stop doing either task, your water level will sink […]
Hank Lewis with Development Consultant Associates has over thirty years as a fundraising consultant and is a specialist in Board and Leadership Development, Capital Campaign, Bequest Program and Major Gifts. [Read more ...]