“Thank you for your donation of $100.” Every time I see that as the opening sentence on a thank you letter, I die a little inside. Gratitude Attitude Last week I gave a training for more than 40 nonprofits who work in the Abilene, Texas community. The topic? Gratitude...
I was a fundraiser. And grant writer. And event organizer. And website manager. And copywriter. And marketing director. And budget preparer. Oh. I shouldn’t forget that I was also a fireman, putting out fires. All of the above wasn’t at multiple jobs. I did them all...
I hate Giving Tuesday. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I really really hate it. Despise it. But just because I dislike how nonprofits currently use the day doesn’t mean I think you should simply not participate in tomorrow’s festivities. No no. I have...
Sometimes a piece of paper isn’t just a piece of paper. Two simple pieces of paper taught me about asking and giving back. The ask I was riding the train in Israel. An older gentleman came into the car and distributed this to everyone: It reads: “A family with 5...
When I talk with clients, prospective clients and large audiences, I always hone in on two points related to building relationships: The nonprofit sector’s donor retention average hovers around 45%. That’s abysmal. Acquisition costs more than retention. Organizations...
Last Tuesday was Giving Tuesday. You know, the day when everyone automatically gives to nonprofits. The day every organization assumes will net them a ton of money. The day your boss made you spend a lot of time and effort preparing for, which steals time from your...
