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Pop Art Turtle

The Slow and Boring Path to Fundraising Success: 7 Ways to Win Big

Strategy
Remember those bright yellow silicone “Livestrong” wristbands? They appeared in 2004, after being developed by Nike and their ad agency. The Lance Armstrong celebrity mojo combined with a teen fad, and a mind-bending 80 million wristbands were sold. It was…
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How to Build Deep and Long-Lasting Connections with Your Donors

Books, Donor Psychology
Book Review: Hooked on a Feeling: How the passion and devotion for good causes become memories and identities by Francesco Ambrogetti Francesco has done it again. He’s written a deeply researched book that helps us understand the sometimes puzzling truth…
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7 Boring Ways to Transform Your Fundraising

Fundraising
Fresh out of college in the mid-1990s, I took a traveling sales job. My responsibility was to sell as many industrial tools and supplies as possible. Yes, that’s just as exciting as it sounds.  My liberal arts education hadn’t trained…
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Fundraising vs. Stewardship: Which is More Important?

Stewardship
What is more important — fundraising or stewardship? I hear this question frequently. A while ago, I asked fundraisers what their #1 challenge was, and many people identified this. It’s not a casual or theoretical question. It’s an urgent, almost…
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5 Donor Love Must-Do’s for the COVID-19 Crisis

Coronavirus, Donor Love
Think for a moment what it’s like to be a donor right now during this pandemic crisis… You are afraid — for your own health, your economic future, for your family and loved ones, for the world. You want to…
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The 4 Pillars of Donor Love That Can Transform Your Fundraising

Donor Love
What exactly is Donor Love? It’s a term that gets thrown around a lot these days. It might sound like some kind of flower-power, flaky magic, wishful thinking term that doesn’t mean much at all. That’s not it. It’s a…
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Love your donors heart

Hurry up and Read This Beautiful Book on Caring for Your Donors

Books, Donor Care
Book Review: Donor CARE: How to Keep Donors Coming Back AFTER the First Gift, by John Haydon When you read a book, you often get a sense of the author. It’s so much like they’re in the room with you,…
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While You’re Feeling Thankful, Remember Your Donors

Donor Love
They say one of the keys to a happy, successful life is to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness. That’s one of the reasons the US holiday of Thanksgiving is so wonderful. Being thankful is good for your personal life ……
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What Your Direct Mail is Like for Real People

Direct Mail, Donor Psychology
I’ve spent a good decade and a half defending direct mail. Mostly in response to anxious nonprofit insiders saying things like “I’d hate to get all the mail we send.” I won’t pretend everyone you mail wants it. And I…
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3 Last-Minute Tweaks for Your End-of-Year Campaign

Direct Mail
Tweak: a fine adjustment to a mechanism or system Here are some fine adjustments you can do that can meaningfully improve your upcoming year-end campaign. Tweak One Make a direct ask. As in “Fiona, will you please make a donation…
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