Olga Moshinsky Woltman, MS

The Far Side of Fundraising Tip of the Week Transactional fundraising leads to high rates of donor loss. Most organizations lose 4 out of 5 first-time donors. The more rapidly and impersonally we secure support, the more we sub-optimize giving potential and the more rapidly donors depart. High rates of donor attrition, coupled with the continue contraction of giving households, spell long-term disaster for most nonprofits. Don't follow the transactional lemmings as they plunged into the sea. Adopt sustainable practices. You may be in the minority but you will help your organization survive and eventually thrive. This one requires that you closely to see who stands out in adopting sustainable practices.

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Shouldn't We Be "Onboarding" New Donors? Are our traditional notions of stewardship responding to one of the deepest donor desires - to belong? Have we convinced ourselves that what they want most is to be thanked and recognized? Our research shows that most donors feel sufficiently thanked but inadequately informed about the impact of their investment. But isn't the best way to inform them to show, not tell, them? Does it not make sense that the sooner we welcome and "onboard" them, the better our chances of retaining them not just as a donor but as a member of our community? And, if they feel as if they are a member of our community, will they not be more receptive to future funding requests? We know that considerate and informative onboarding is a key factor in employee retention, so does it not stand to reason that the same would be true for new donors? Some of the best onboarding practices for new staff, according to Kelly Main of Forbes magazine, include: ⏺ Give out a welcome package ⏺ Make the first day exciting ⏺ Share your definition of success ⏺ Stay true to your culture ⏺ Check in regularly ⏺ Involve senior leaders Is one of the major reasons we lose so many first-time donors that we don't welcome them into our organizations and provide them materials and experiences that make them feel like insiders and valued members of our community? Wouldn't a more formal and systematic onboarding approach greatly increase our chances of retaining them for years to come? https://lnkd.in/eCFnAkV9

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To Find Your Best Fundraising Opportunities, Remember: A significant portion of donors are underwhelmed or dissatisfied with their giving experience, including yours. You may have assumed that are satisfied because they continue to give and continued to be stewarded. Yet we so often fail to realize that few donors are dissatisfied with their personal treatment but underwhelmed by: ⏹ The lack of a compelling plan to more fully realize your mission promise ⏹ The insufficiency of information about concrete, specific, sustainable differences being made ⏹ The absence of major-gift-worthy ideas Donors want to be feel a part of something bigger than themselves but too often are met with small administrative concerns. They want to contribute to an organization that is attacking the root causes of societal concerns but too often are presented band-aid budget-balancing concepts. They want to hear from those who are delivering essential services and making incremental progress notwithstanding great challenges but all too often are treated with gauzy, rah-rah rhetoric from on high. Too often we assume stewardship is about thanking and recognizing but our research shows the vast majority of donors feel adequately thanked but under-involved in mission delivery and under-informed about mission impact. So job one is to check in with your donors, find out what they feel is missing, and to respond to their philanthropic yearnings. You can then bring on more supporters by remembering the same lessons. A significant portion of donors at other organizations are similarly dissatisfied or underwhelmed, including those giving to prominent and seemingly successful organizations. You can dislodge and ultimately win over donors from those organizations if you provide what they are not getting at other organizations but only if: ⏺ You put forward fundraising concepts that are society-serving, that demonstrate how to give through your organization not just to it for mundane needs ⏺ You demonstrate how donors will be a part of the action and provided an inside view of mission delivery ⏺ You establish the means of creating regular conversation with donors so you can learn from their most rewarding philanthropic experiences and avoid replicating their most dissatisfying and under-whelming ones. The tactical imitation, lack of strategic imagination and formula playing, albeit with the latest tech, that pervades our field won't allow us retain or optimize the potential of the donors we already have much less fetch new ones.

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Learn the steps for making a professional capital campaign solicitation that we train our committee members to use. Read now!

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A recent study by the OECD - OCDE revealed that just 8% of official development assistance (ODA) for the media and information ecosystem directly supports media organizations within recipient states. Moreover, funding levels have remained flat since 2008, in spite of increasing challenges to media integrity and democracy.   Nicholas Benequista, Ph.D. and Laure-Hélène Piron explain the necessity of increasing funding for local organizations and bolstering a media ecosystem by and for local actors. More from the Center for Sustainable Media, Peter Erdelyi, María Paula Ángel Benavides, and Ioana Epure. Read: https://lnkd.in/eWE5MEYS

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If you can answer these 5 questions, you're ready for major gift success. How many can you confidently address?  •Do you know your organization's unique value proposition for major donors?  •Can you articulate the impact of a major gift on your mission in concrete   terms? •Have you identified the right prospects for major gifts within your donor base? •Do you have a strategy for cultivating relationships with potential major donors? •Are you prepared to handle objections and concerns from prospective major donors? Major gift coaching can help you navigate these critical areas and more. It's not just about asking for large donations; it's about building meaningful relationships and creating significant impact. How many of these questions could you confidently answer? Share your number in the comments, and let's discuss where you feel most prepared or where you might need support.

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Want to make a positive impact, but unsure how you can make a difference? Learn how a donor-advised fund can help you plan your giving on a timeline that works for you. https://lnkd.in/eU9zgWzy

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Want to enhance your organization's #donor retention and #fundraising success? Our free guide offers three effective techniques to effortlessly elevate your donor communications.

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The association community, through ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership, has urged both presidential campaigns to recognize and prioritize the contributions of trade and professional associations in their policy agendas. From the letter, associations account for over 1 million jobs, generating more than $71 billion in wages, and hold more than 272,000 events every year that attract nearly 52 million participants and generate $42 billion in spending. Associations also pay almost $28 billion in federal, state and local taxes each year, and events generate an additional $7.5 billion in taxes. https://lnkd.in/g5bkmP7Q #associations #associationmanagement #policy #vote

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A capital campaign case for support is a document that outlines the needs and benefits of a nonprofit’s capital request. Read this case for support example to help assess your own case. #nonprofitfundraising #nonprofitcapitalcampaign #capitalcampaign #capitalcampaignconsultant

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Why does SARD use cash as a modality? Cash assistance offers a variety of benefits for the beneficiary, the donor, and the local community. Learn more about the advantages of cash assistance in our latest blog post. #CashAssistance #HumanitarianAid #SARD #Local #Syria

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Bi-partisan election alert! The 2024 Election is a problem for fundraising. Experts say that November will be a total loss when it comes to getting donor attention. So, let's focus on how to maximize fundraising this fall. With less than two months, let's get started! Check out our FREE webinar! https://lnkd.in/gzfu5sqG

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