The Agitator

APRIL 13, 2014

Debbi Barber at Grizzard, in a post last week titled One Simple Way to Improve Retention , hit the nail on the head. She recommended one improvement that would unfailingly yield higher lifetime value from any nonprofit’s donors. Debbi’s recommendation?

Retention 105

Retention Fundraising Fundraising Nonprofit Management 105

The Agitator

OCTOBER 17, 2013

Commenting on Tom’s Ingredients of Retention Success post, Mazarine Treyz of Wildwoman Fundraising poses the intriguing question of whether retention of donors may possibly be related to an organization’s ability to retain its professional fundraisers. Look, I am a fundraising. Mazarine asks …. ”

Fundraising 104

Fundraising Fundraising Retention Nonprofit Management 104

The Agitator

OCTOBER 1, 2013

Yesterday I asked you as a fundraiser to consider: Are you a valued guide to your donors, or simply a nuisance paparazzi? He forwarded a recent piece he’d written titled: How are you managing the Donor Journey? How are you managing the Donor Journey? So here’s Tony’s piece.

Fundraising 98

Fundraising Fundraising Retention Nonprofit Management 98

MNA Association

JANUARY 22, 2024

Inclusion and Belonging : Staff trust the process and feel valued for their contributions. We also value our team and would like them to stick around (aka employee retention). From there, we built out the criteria for adjustments and movements within each band based on what we value and want to prioritize.

Race and Ethnicity 52

Race and Ethnicity Associations Values Culture 52

The Agitator

APRIL 12, 2012

Tom’s post yesterday, Nonprofits and the Customer Experience not only warrants reading a second time, but I also feel compelled to pile on some more emphasis and detail because it goes right to the heart of retention and donor value. In-person fundraising. Here’s why I think this is so important. Advocacy events.

Retention 90

Retention Production Values Activism 90

The Agitator

JANUARY 16, 2018

This will quickly give you the vital fundraising metrics of your own organization. That dashboard rightly highlights what I’d argue is the most “K” of fundraising KPIs: donor lifetime value. What you really want to focus on is: “what is the net value of a person’s donations to an organization going to be?”

Retention 55

Retention Fundraising Fundraising Values 55

The Agitator

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

Increasing the lifetime value of a donor file by increasing retention rates seems like a ‘no brainer’ when it comes to improving an organization’s fundraising performance. Or does your nonprofit follow more the scenario described in this post from Analytical. See here and here.

Retention 95

Retention Nonprofit Management Values Management 95

The Agitator

MARCH 13, 2013

As much as Roger and I bemoan a lack of innovation today in fundraising, without question there are plenty of ‘lessons learned’ that all fundraisers should seriously consider before launching into change for change sake. It’s a stimulating list, covering most aspects of fundraising. Or as Tom says: Retention.

Fundraising 109

Fundraising Fundraising Retention Finance 109

iMarketSmart

DECEMBER 5, 2022

Fundraising metrics can’t do everything. So, let’s look at some hard stuff when it comes to fundraising. Fundraising math v. fundraising emotion. In both sports and fundraising, the emotions don’t match the math. Making connections with the donor’s values, people, and life story helps.

Fundraising 52

Fundraising Fundraising Public and Nonprofit Management Nonprofit Administration and Development 52

Bloomerang

JULY 6, 2023

Nonprofit strategic planning FAQs What is strategic planning for nonprofits? During the strategic planning process, you should identify areas to spend money effectively in ways that increase your fundraising return on investment. Our nonprofit shouldn’t take any risks. Volunteer boards should take charge of fundraising.

Nonprofit governance and management 117

Nonprofit governance and management Public and Nonprofit Management Nonprofit Administration and Development Nonprofits 117

The Agitator

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

Using this conceptual approach, with its targeting and intervention tactics, a typical nonprofit can look to increase its revenue by $200,000 over three years for every 1000 donors moved from low to high commitment. We set out to identify targeting strategies and possible interventions that might reliably counter this downward trend.

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Values Retention Communication Fundraising 73

The Agitator

DECEMBER 20, 2015

A perennial question in fundraising shops between now and the end of January will be, “Did we make the numbers for 2015?” The three most important questions: “What is our retention rate?” The three most important questions: “What is our retention rate?”, “What is the 5 year Lifetime Value of our donors?”,

Fundraising 65

Fundraising Fundraising Retention Values 65

The Agitator

AUGUST 8, 2012

Too many direct response fundraisers, many of whom should know better, continue to resort to acquisition techniques that only serve to camouflage the erosion and dry rot destroying long-term donor performance and value. When will they understand that Retention is the New Acquisition? raised in 2010, $5.54 was lost — a 1.9%

Fundraising 84

Fundraising Fundraising Retention Manufacturing 84

The Agitator

AUGUST 9, 2018

What is fundraising success? Your donors’ total lifetime value increases. For this last, let’s remember the lifetime value definition: the total amount of gifts a person will give over their lifetime (less cost of solicitation, communication and donor care.). Increase retention rate. And it is, in part. A success.

Fundraising 40

Fundraising Fundraising Retention Values 40

The Agitator

NOVEMBER 1, 2017

Despite rising competition, declining numbers of active donors, and falling retention rates most fundraisers continue whistling past the graveyard of the future — blithely ignoring or sidestepping any serious efforts to address these issues head on. The disease nonprofits are not alone. Begin at the Beginning.

Fundraising 56

Fundraising Fundraising Retention Values 56

The Agitator

JANUARY 8, 2014

It’s fashionable these days for many nonprofit fundraisers and their consultants to claim they’re ‘data-driven’ Problem is, most focus on the ‘data’ part of the slogan; few understand the requirements of the second word — ‘ driven’. Here are my candidates for a basic set of 2013 KPIs every fundraiser needs.

Retention 88

Retention Nonprofit Management Values Management 88

The Agitator

JULY 19, 2016

Why do so many nonprofit CEOs and Boards ignore ‘value’ when it comes to fundraising? In fact, why do so many fundraisers ignore it also? Decisions with long-term implications for the future health of the nonprofit. Tom’s The Boss Wants to See You!

Values 45

Values Health Management Fundraising 45

The Agitator

JANUARY 15, 2018

As we kick off this Agitator series on Fundraising Metrics I’m going to invoke Brandy because her song Pray to Jesus reflects the approach to decision making by all too many fundraisers unfamiliar with simple metrics, simple calculations. Consequently, we’ve prepared this Agitator series on Fundraising Metrics. .

Fundraising 53

Fundraising Fundraising Retention Health 53

The Agitator

JULY 9, 2018

Nonprofits need to exist as long as their issue exists. That’s why we preach retention above almost all other things – the donors you have are the ones who will sustain you. As a fundraising professional, it’s your responsibility to think about –and act– in support of the long-term. Not everyone shares this goal.

Retention 77

Retention Management Nonprofit Leadership Values 77

The Agitator

APRIL 30, 2018

There’s no question in my mind that a great deal of the furor over the ‘high cost of fundraising’ on the part boards, CEOs, watchdog groups, the press, regulators and many fundraisers themselves stems mostly from ignorance. Each of these programs adds to the Lifetime Value of a donor base. First, let’s take a coffee break.

Insurance 86

Insurance Retention Values Leadership 86

The Agitator

NOVEMBER 3, 2011

Re-orient toward longer term measures of fundraising performance. Look at long-term values. Enhance focus on retention and building supporter loyalty. With retention rates in the dumper too few nonprofits really understand that a 10% improvement in retention results in a 200% improvement in lifetime value.

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Fundraising Fundraising Philanthropy Retention 107

The Agitator

APRIL 8, 2018

That’s the question veteran fundraising consultant Michael Rosen explores in What Will It Take to Dramatically Increase Philanthropy? Meanwhile, Michael suggests there are actions fundraisers can take now to increase giving. By now a fundraisers’ focus on retention should be as natural as breathing. Retain more donors.

Retention 79

Retention Philanthropy Public and Nonprofit Management Insurance 79

MNA Association

JANUARY 16, 2024

By showing each stakeholder group that you value them, you’ll unite everyone under the umbrella of your nonprofit’s success and keep them invested for the long term. Double the Donation’s donor retention guide lists sharing impact stories as one of the top strategies for retaining donor support.

Nonprofit governance and management 52

Nonprofit governance and management Finance Governance Retention 52

The Agitator

JANUARY 18, 2018

Anyone familiar with The Undoing Project or the works of Kahneman and Tversky can skip down to where “ retention rate” is written in bold. With that in mind, why do we talk about retention rate? Somehow in the mists of time, we’ve become numb to a 21% first-time donor retention rate. Word choice. Pictures.

Retention 58

Retention Fundraising Fundraising Food 58

iMarketSmart

AUGUST 15, 2022

Fundraisers aren’t even allowed to tell the donor’s hero story. For the nonprofit administrator, the compelling story is the administrator hero story.[1]. Fundraising with the administrator-hero story. Fundraising messages in the administrator-hero story may vary. And the fundraiser? Fundraising is dirty business.

Public and Nonprofit Management 98

Public and Nonprofit Management Non-Profits Retention Management 98

The Agitator

APRIL 26, 2018

Increasing retention post-first gift is a major part of this and we should pat ourselves on the back (not too hard) for this. But there are only two ways to grow: growing the value of donors or the number of them. They may have given a larger-than-average gift upon acquisition, but their value has built over time.

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Values Fundraising Fundraising Retention 76

The Agitator

JANUARY 8, 2013

Partly because he sets the future strategy for a company that provides fundraising tools and data for nearly 30,000 nonprofits, but also because he’s a calm, thoughtful guy who participates in and supports some important thought leadership in our sector. Marc is the CEO of Blackbaud. His views are important.

Non-Profits 96

Non-Profits Fundraising Fundraising Public and Nonprofit Management 96

The Agitator

MARCH 27, 2012

YET… day in day out thousands of nonprofits pour the bulk of their marketing and fundraising dollars into a leaky retention bucket, seemingly oblivious to this gigantic waste that endangers their very future. Truth be told, the real reason is: “Because we really don’t know how to improve retention and fix the leaky bucket.”.

Retention 75

Retention Fundraising Fundraising Recruitment 75

The Agitator

MARCH 20, 2011

I’ve been fiddling around with a list of favorite fundraising metrics … the fewest numbers I would most like to know about my/your donors to judge my/your direct marketing fundraising performance. First-year retention rate for new donors, by acquisition media (The linchpin of future value).

Fundraising 89

Fundraising Fundraising Retention Recruitment 89

The Agitator

NOVEMBER 15, 2017

Our job [as fundraisers] is to protect the acquisition investment. . The fundraising challenge…is not simply calculating/understanding your ‘rates’. She also happens to be a veteran of 18 years’ direct response fundraising and the CEO of DonorTrends.]. If you’re lucky, 1% of them may respond. . “To ” That’s not all.

Retention 51

Retention Values Fundraising Fundraising 51

The Agitator

JULY 15, 2010

On Tuesday Tom alerted us to Convio’s Benchmark Report on Online Fundraising for 2009. This fundraising index reports revenue trends on a monthly basis for 1,787 nonprofits representing $399 million in 12 month online revenue. Today Blackbaud is out with another new Index – The Blackbaud Index of Online Giving. Good news indeed.

Fundraising 84

Fundraising Fundraising Retention Nonprofit Management 84

The Agitator

NOVEMBER 12, 2017

On Thursday, November 16 at 1:00pm EST two experts from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project will hold a Free Webinar about revenue and donor retention in 2017. ” I used the misunderstanding or misrepresentation questioning the value of predictive modeling as an example. REGISTER FREE RIGHT HERE.

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Fundraising Fundraising Education Education 56

The Agitator

JULY 31, 2018

And my book Retention Fundraising devoted a chapter to “Five Easy Retention Wins” and noting that saying “Thank you” is Retention Win #1. Penelope Burk reports in Donor-Centered Fundraising that only four out of ten donors say they receive a thank-you letter after they make a donation. AND STILL….Penelope

Retention 63

Retention Psychology Universities Food 63

The Agitator

MARCH 4, 2012

Although the undercurrent has not yet reached tsunami or even riptide proportions, it is increasingly evident that concepts long talked about but seldom acted upon (for example, loyalty, commitment, donor engagement) are finally being translated into practical applications to improve retention and revenue.

Non-Profits 70

Non-Profits Fundraising Fundraising Retention 70

The Agitator

FEBRUARY 11, 2013

When Chuck Longfield is worried, it’s time for fundraisers to wake up, pay attention, and begin making some serious changes. For purposes of this post, he’s a first-rate innovator who is more intimately familiar with direct response fundraising trends than anyone I know. EMPHASIZE DONOR RETENTION OVER ACQUISITION.

Retention 99

Retention Values Fundraising Fundraising 99

iMarketSmart

SEPTEMBER 19, 2022

This role can direct the fundraiser’s work. The fundraiser makes the call to adventure. The fundraiser advances the donor’s hero story. The fundraiser advances the donor’s hero story. When the fundraiser fulfills this role, it can be powerful for donors, too. These character differences apply to fundraising.

Public and Nonprofit Management 52

Public and Nonprofit Management Nonprofit Administration and Development Altruism and Helping Values 52

The Agitator

AUGUST 4, 2011

With her usual style, grace and sense of humor Margaret Battistelli Gardner, the Editor-in-Chief of Fundraising Success helpfully added to the growing chorus of concern over donor commitment and donor relationship management. speakers offered “tons of tips on how to build better donor relationships.&#. Therein lies a problem.

Participation and motivation 74

Participation and motivation Retention Fundraising Fundraising 74