It begins with the data. I'm often approached by nonprofit leaders with the same question. Leaders of both large and small nonprofit organizations have asked me the same question over and over. The are all looking for a short cut to building their fundraising...
Articles
Articles and Insights from the FIT Fundraising Team
This Old Dog Has Learned A Few New Tricks….. Multi-channel Giving!
The colorful Lee Atwater was right about one thing that applies to our era today, “listen to your donors”. Donors today are telling you they want more options for giving. We call it integration, but it is critical to give your supporters multiple options for driving them to make their next gift.
Show Your Donors Some Love – Use Feb. 12 to Say Thank You
Now is the time to let your supporters know how much you appreciate them. February 12 has been named nationwide on social media as Donor Love Day (#donorlove on Twitter).
New Year Gurus Wrong Again… DM Will NOT Die in 2014
Make no mistake about it, direct mail is changing. There are fewer donors using the preprinted DM reply devices and reply envelopes. America’s top non-profits are now reporting that between one-quarter and one-third of all direct mail responders use the charity’s web site as their response device. No other channel drives more gifts to your website than Direct Mail!
Your Fundraising Program Should Begin AT THE END
The first question every development professional must ask is how many donors who gave last year have not given this year? In other words, how many supporters have lapsed?
Internet Guru Challenge – Fundraising “Part Deux”
Internet giving continues to climb, but I contend it is because the other channels are driving traffic to web giving pages, and not because the other channels are lying in a ditch on the information highway.
4th Quarter Check List – Cancel Christmas Vacations in Your Development Department
Stay open through the holidays. Have at least a few major gift officers in the office that can be making clean-up calls to donors that haven’t given yet this year and thank you calls to donors who make large year-end contributions. They’ll also be available for those last minute calls from donors who want to make gifts of stocks or other assets before year-end.
Direct Mail: R.I.P 2011?
Direct mail pre-printed reply devices may be decreasing in use, but the direct mail fundraising letter is at an exponential high. People are reading their mail and then using the giving channel they trust the most. Remember, in 2011 the key will be how you use direct mail AND the internet, not direct mail or the internet.