Penelope Burk, the surveying sage and author of Donor Centered Fundraising , has verified through countless iterations of her research that 93% of individual donors would definitely or probably give again the next time they were asked if a charity did two simple things: Thanked them promptly in a personal way, and Followed up later with a meaningful report on the program they had funded. If you’re looking for the keys to donor retention…look no further! The real challenge, o
Donor relations teams know this truth well: impact reporting works best when it follows a plan. And yet, too often, organizations jump straight to creating the reports. They may be beautiful. They may be thoughtful. They may take weeks (or months) to produce. But many times, we create them without first answering the all important question: What is this report meant to do in the donor relationship? When engagement planning comes first, impact reporting becomes intentional, s
Partnering with Scholarship Administrators to ensure scholarship funds are properly and successfully stewarded seems obvious, doesn’t it? It just makes sense to develop and maintain clear lines of regular communication—not just when there’s a problem—with these colleagues; after all, they are the ones tasked with distributing donor funds to students. Working in tandem with Scholarship Administrators is essential for fulfilling our obligations to our donors, our students, and
You’ve just completed a fund audit; congratulations! That’s no small feat. If you’re like most people, it took months (if not a year) to pull records, review reports, check them against donor intent, and finally document your findings. You might be feeling a mix of relief, exhaustion, and a nagging question: Now what do we do with this audit? A fund audit is not just about accuracy or compliance. It’s about restoring and reinforcing trust—both internally and with your donors.
