Topic
gratitude
[Year-end] Episode 7: Keep the Donors You Just Found
It's the first Monday in January. The pantry is quiet, and Dana is looking at a printout of about two hundred new donors with two feelings at once: gratitude that they showed up, and a little dread, because she knows how often first-time donors never give again.
Your Thanksgiving Message to Donors Needs More Than Gratitude
A warm, no-ask Thanksgiving note is a fixture of most year-end plans, but the best research we have on thank-yous suggests gratitude alone may not move donors. Here's how to make your November message show donors what their gift actually did, and how to find out whether it's working.
Your Gift Receipt May Be the Most-Read Letter You Send
The receipt is the one letter your donors are actually waiting for, and most read like a bank statement. The legal part takes three sentences. The rest of the page is yours to use.
Five Year-End Jobs for Board Members That Don't Involve Asking for Money
Most board members who resist fundraising are resisting the ask, not the work. Here are five year-end jobs, with a timeline and scripts, and none of them requires asking anyone for money.
[Donor Retention] Episode 2: Quick Tips to Showing Donor Gratitude
Want to know how to keep your donors coming back? In this episode, we’re breaking down the power of genuine donor gratitude and how it can make all the difference in retention.
[Donor Retention] Episode 3: Crafting the Perfect Thank-You: Best Practices for Acknowledging Donors
What separates a simple thank-you from one that truly makes a difference? In this episode, we explore the art of crafting meaningful and timely thank-you messages that leave a lasting impact on your donors.
[Donor Retention] Episode 17: The Impact of Donor Recognition Programs: Exploring Strategies and Their Effect on Retention Rates
Want to know the secret to keeping your donors coming back year after year? In this episode, we’re unlocking the power of donor recognition programs and how they can significantly boost retention.
How One Simple Change Transformed a Nonprofit's Donor Retention from 6% to 22%
Most nonprofits are facing a donor retention crisis, and they don't even realize it. The average first-year donor retention rate across the nonprofit sector hovers around 15-20%. That means 80-85% of people who make a first gift to your organization will never give again.
Episode 62: How Do I Create a Donor Stewardship Calendar?
You're great at running campaigns - your year-end appeal crushed it, your spring event was a success - but then... radio silence.
The 48-Hour Follow Up Rule: Why Your Donor Retention Depends on Lightning-Fast Response
Every donor should receive meaningful, personal contact within 48 hours of making their gift. Not just an automated email receipt – though that should happen immediately – but actual human contact that shows you noticed their gift and you're grateful for it.
The Art of the Follow-Up: Ensuring That Your Donors are Informed, Engaged, and Primed for Future Support
Mastering donor relations involves authentic communication, recognizing donors as mission partners, and nurturing lifelong bonds through mindful, genuine follow-ups.
Donor Thank-You Letter Examples (and the Template I'd Start With)
Copy-ready thank-you letters for first-time, monthly, major, year-end and in-kind donors, plus short notes, an email version and wording that brings donors back.
6 Successful Strategies for Nurturing Your Midlevel Donors
It's important to keep mid-level donors engaged and invested in your cause. In this article, you will discover six strategies you can use to nurture your midlevel donors and turn them into lifelong supporters of your organization.
The Secret Impact of a Hug Letter
A hug letter is a second thank-you that tells donors what their gift did. Here is how to write one, when to send it, and a full example you can adapt.
Donor Retention: How to Keep the Donors You Already Have
How to measure donor retention, why donors stop giving and the practical steps that keep them: fast thank-yous, welcomes, reporting and win-backs.
Donor Thank-You Call Scripts That Feel Like a Conversation
Word-for-word scripts for thanking first-time, monthly and major donors by phone, plus what to say when you get voicemail and a 60-second video script.
4 Examples of Nonprofit Engagement
Recently, a question was posed to me on LinkedIn asking about which nonprofits are engaging with donors in a way that creates a feeling of "belonging." We've…
Reinforce the Donation Decision to Eliminate Donor Remorse
Donor remorse is a real phenomenon. You might find it odd, but some people do regret the donation they made. Learn 4 steps to eliminate it.
Episode 30 - How to Say Thanks to Your Donors
Demonstrating gratitude to your donors may be your most important job as a fundraiser. Why? A happy donor gives a second, third, and fourth time. A well thanked donor tells their friends. Learn creative ways to thank your donors.
6 Ways to Have Happier Donors
One of the areas that many of us need to focus on this next year is: How do we retain more donors?