Stop Making Excuses
Stop making excuses for your lack of stewardship communications and other cultivations for middle donors. Good stewardship could make the difference between happy, loyal and generous donors on the one...
View Article15 Questions to Ask Your Middle Donors
Mark and I frequently advise fundraisers to listen to their donors — through surveys, online focus groups and one-on-one or group interviews. After we led a webinar with our friends at Network for Good...
View ArticleGive your donors some love
Nurturing donors is something we should be doing all year long. Cultivation helps to increase donor retention and overall revenue. But when things get hectic, cultivation is one of the first things we...
View ArticleComplaints are opportunities: Expletives deleted
Last week, a client received an expletive-laced email complaining about the quality of their premiums and the consistency of their delivery. The email author is a senior and wants to pass on the...
View Article15 Concrete Ideas for Stewarding Middle Donors Without Breaking the Bank
“I gave $500 and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.” That’s a quote I heard from a mid-level donor during a focus group. And sadly, it’s something many mid-level donors could say about their experience...
View ArticleIgnore them at your own peril
Mid-level donors give a lot of money. In one study of donors to more than a dozen causes, we found that people who give between $1,000 and $10,000 represent only 1% of individual donors, but make up...
View ArticleWhat a good hug can teach you about communications and fundraising
I love a good hug. Holding someone close and giving them a big squeeze says so much. It’s intimate. It’s connected. At it’s best, a one-on-one hug is a physical representation of our shared human...
View ArticleThe Goldilocks Strategy
Let’s say you’re Goldilocks. You’ve started a non-profit to raise money so you can pay back the Three Bears for all the damage you did to their home. And you need a fundraising strategy. How about just...
View ArticleMake December donor appreciation month
Have you ever felt under appreciated? It doesn’t feel good. As the year-end season kicks into high gear tomorrow with Giving Tuesday, remember that appreciating your donors is a central part of your...
View ArticleMissing Middle 2018: Just dropped
We just launched the 2018 follow up study to the Missing Middle: Neglecting Middle Donors is Costing You Millions. Mid level fundraising has evolved dramatically in four years. Based on detailed data...
View ArticleWhen Worlds Collide: Major Gifts and Direct Marketing Team Up to Maximize...
Four years ago, the only thing major gifts officers and direct marketing teams shared was the office bathroom. In 2014, when Sea Change Strategies released The Missing Middle: Neglecting Mid-Level...
View ArticleFundraising Pioneer Roger Craver Talks Fundraising & COVID-19
If there’s anyone who should be giving advice to fundraisers about what to do during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s fundraising pioneer Roger Craver. Roger invented modern fundraising and has led...
View ArticleQ&A with Seth Godin: Fundraising During the Pandemic
How will the pandemic shift the fundraising landscape? How can fundraisers and non profits stay resilient during turbulent times? Does the incredible Seth Godin ever experience moments of self doubt...
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