Great donor stewardship is essential for your non-profit. The stewardship process starts with the thank you letter. If your supporters don’t feel properly thanked, it is highly unlikely that they will continue to give. In this article, we’re going to show you how to write an amazing major donor thank you letter for your non-profit organization.
Even seasoned fundraisers sometimes have trouble initiating a conversation. However when you possess the ability to have an effective, engaging conversation, your prospects suddenly turn into donors; your donors turn into repeat donors; planned gifts increase, along with major and annual gifts; and your reputation grows (along with your career).
“The appeal letter has had a huge impact! We are starting to get in responses to the appeal — some very positive … and some very angry. We can’t do this again.”
The year-end giving season is coming fast, and there’s a lot to get done if you’re a fundraiser. After all, at least half of all nonprofits receive the majority of their annual donations during the holiday season. And according to studies by Network for Good, 12% of all giving happens in the last three days of the year! Use these tips to learn how to build a great year-end fundraising strategy for your non-profit.
Online will planning is the latest tool in fundraisers’ arsenal—and it’s taking over the internet by storm as more nonprofits realize its potential. But online will planning tools can not replace your planned giving website. Instead, focus on using both tools as part of an integrated planned gift strategy for your non-profit.
Year-end gifts usually make up the bulk of most nonprofits’ yearly cash donations (about 31% in December; 12% in the last three days of the year). Which is why it literally pays to keep your donors up-to-date on tax-law changes. Now, more than ever, helping your donors stay up to date with their tax planning can have huge year-end fundraising benefits for your non-profit.
When charities refuse to accept donations of life insurance, they miss out on a multi-trillion-dollar asset class and a valuable alternative to cash gifts. Likewise, when policyholders surrender or sell their insurance policies, they often miss out on the opportunity to support charities that they care about.
Do you have an estate plan? Many people think estate planning is unnecessarily complicated – but it doesn’t need to be. A qualified estate attorney or easily accessible online tools can help you create a will that will make things easier on your heirs and ensure that your wishes are known to those who follow you.
Not so long ago, the outlook for fundraising reflected the sunny optimism of the overall economy. Our donors had secure, well-paying jobs (often two per household); the value of their McMansions and vacation condos was projected to follow an endless upward arc; and when they opened their retirement-plan statements, the ending balance was always gratifyingly larger than the previous month’s.
I’ve written before about the dangers of the DIY (do-it-yourself) mentality in nonprofit fundraising. The most frightening thing is the amount of time you’ll spend doing everything but meeting with donor prospects. Here’s how you can make your fundraising more successful by outsourcing some of your development needs to outside fundraising experts.
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