If We Don’t Ask, No One Will Give
If giving is down for you so far, try not to use that as the gauge for the year. Instead, stay focused on your donors, your relationships, your shared values and vision. Ensure they are invited to give this spring in meaningful ways. If we don’t ask, no one will give.
The Joy of Giving
December is a great opportunity to help people think more intentionally about giving, about helping others, and how we can make that a continuous way of life, as opposed to something we do for a season.
Income to Intention
Giving is not an income based practice. Giving is a values and heart based practice.
Giving Trends for Summer
I wanted to share two important pieces of recent research on giving as we enter into summer. You can download them online—please see the links in this newsletter.
Why Year-End Giving Counts
The final three months of the calendar year are an important time to welcome new donors and invite repeat gifts from previous donors, with 40 percent of charitable donations typically being made in December, according to The Fund Raising School.
The Power of Giving
The US philanthropic sector is an amazing thing--it's the most developed, robust and comprehensive charitable sector in the world.
True Impact of Nonprofits
The U.S. is home to the most vibrant, strong and largest nonprofit sector in the world--more than 1.4 million organizations. It is always frustrating to me to see how sensationalized things become without looking at the full context of the trust equity, quality leadership, and amazing organizations we have. I wish that the media and critics would spend more time looking at our impact as opposed to what happens in one organization.
13 Timeless Keys to Increasing Donor Giving
I thought this month I would revisit research I did about 18 years ago on keys to increasing giving to an organization. This was the result of researching 15 different national studies on increasing giving, along with other research that had assessed thousands of donors. I narrowed all of the research down to 13 critical things that were present in all of the research, no matter what the focus of the constituency.
Heart vs. Head
This season is a great times to remember that and be sure we take time to steward relationships well. Take time to reach out to donors in January and February and thank them for their partnership. Let them know that they matter, and show them the warmth that comes from being part of your family of shared believers in your cause.
A December Reminder: Value the People Beside You.
I have always loved the month of December and the great sense of family and community that comes with it. This can be such a busy time of year on so many levels. In the nonprofit sector we have a very heavy focus on late November and December giving, events, activities and donor cultivation work. With all the busy-ness, we can spread ourselves thin relationally. Even in the midst of relational activity, it can be easy to overlook spending time with our closest staff and volunteers.