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Thoughts from the Group
Explore the DRG blog for fresh ideas on all things donor experience, leadership, team building, donor relations, and change management.
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Designing a Day to Remember: The Power of Bespoke Donor Experiences
In donor relations, we often talk about gratitude, stewardship, and impact, but the most transformative moments happen when we translate...


Why Storytelling Is the Most Underrated Skill in Fundraising Today
In an era of data-driven decision-making and digital donor engagement, storytelling continues to be one of the most powerful yet...


Unlock Donor Loyalty: The Science-Backed Guide to Donor Retention
Donor retention isn’t rocket science—but it is science. Behavioral science, that is. And there is already a treasure trove of...


A Donor Experience I’ll Never Forget—And Why It Still Inspires Me
I love donor events—like capital L.O.V.E.—I really, really love donor events. I love how a good event can create a strong emotional...


The Art of the First Impression: Elevating New Donor Engagement
We encounter many firsts throughout our lives, and these experiences often shape our future decisions. For example, when you buy your...


The Power of Donor Feedback: How Every Insight Strengthens Your Strategy
Donor feedback. Sometimes, we seek it; other times, it comes to us unsolicited, and usually, when we least expect it. Feedback—regardless...


The Ask That's Always Appropriate: Creating Donor Engagement Opportunities At Scale
When I was a young fundraiser starting out in major gifts (a story for another day…), I was paired with a much more seasoned fundraiser...


Bridging the Gap Between Numbers and Narratives in Stewardship
As part of the stewardship process donors expect many things from us. Chief among these things is demonstrating the impact of the...


From Silence to Stewardship: The Story of Rebuilding a Donor’s Trust
Picture this: It's a Tuesday morning after endowment reporting season, and I'm sipping my third cup of coffee (let's not judge). My inbox...


4 Key Metrics for Donor Relations Success
How do you know that your work in donor relations is making a bottom-line fundraising impact? One (sometimes loaded) word: metrics. ...


6 Steps for Implementing Effective Change Management to Increase Donor Retention
Donor retention is often a neglected metric in fundraising, with many organizations focusing more on the volume of donations or the...


3 Essentials for Successful Top Donor Engagement Plans
Bespoke engagement plans for top donors are one of the hottest topics in fundraising, and for good reason––the “one-size-fits-all”...


Beyond Giving Tuesday: Building Lasting Connections with First-Time Donors
Giving Tuesday can be a whirlwind of support, particularly from new donors who resonate with your cause. But after the rush, it’s...


Building Donor Loyalty: Insights, Strategies, and the Power of Milestones
We just sent out our loyal donor milestone mailer this month. We honor the donors who have given to our organization for at least five...


4 Key Tips for Donor Survey Success
At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, it’s hard to imagine a more powerful tool than a custom survey of your organization’s donor base. I...


Change Is Coming: How To Build Trust With Donors in Uncertain Times
The only thing constant is change . Greek philosophers have given the world much to ponder over a few thousand years, but this...


5 Essential Segmentation Strategies for Nonprofits to Connect with the Perfect Audience
One of the more fascinating—and often truly baffling—aspects of the donor experience is what happens to our data after we make a gift....


20 Questions That Are Key to Unlocking Your Donor’s Philanthropic Passion
As a major gift fundraiser turned donor relations professional, I’m often asked when is the “right time” to ask donors for a major gift....


How to Engage, Inspire, and Retain First Time Donors (and we have examples!)
First-time donors give for many reasons, and donor retention looks different for each donor behavior type. First-time gifts can come from...


Recognition Societies : Build, Revamp, or Retire?
Have formal donor recognition societies already had their day in the sun? Should we be eliminating or investing in them? That is the big...
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