Alumni Relations Forecast 2020: Relevance Rules

The alumni relations field today is in a good place: institutions have never been so consistently strategic, outcomes-based and intentional in their approach to alumni engagement. A growing business-oriented discipline toward strategy and programming has contributed to the rise in the stature of alumni relations as a more vital and respected institutional asset. Alumni professionals […]

What Donors Want When It Comes to Communication

The fine art of donor communications is a constant topic of study and analysis. But while nonprofits don’t always know what type of communications donors want, common sense would dictate that donors are looking for some kind of feedback about how their money is used. But what kind of contact do they want and how […]

The Evolution of Philanthropy and the Fall of the Fundraising Pyramid

For a long time, philanthropy has been defined as “the giving of money to nonprofit organizations.” However, this definition is quickly becoming obsolete. It’s evolving towards a meaning that is more appropriate to today’s giving paradigm and less industry-driven: that philanthropy is “the action of transforming the social wellbeing of others through generosity.” The fundraising […]

Three steps for Boosting your Fundraising Confidence

Stephanie Harvey, fundraising manager from Little Village, shares her thoughts on this year’s Status of UK Fundraising 2019 Benchmark Report. One outcome is the decreased confidence in charities. Stephanie elaborates: “We have all seen the negative news with various stories being uncovered of late, and like others we were disappointed and angry about what was […]

Radical Transparency

What does Jennifer Coleman-Peers mean by ‘radical transparency’? It’s about pushing beyond the norms of honest and open practice to be open to the extreme, to share all the most important aspects – both the good and the bad – and in doing so to build trust in who we are and what we do […]

How to Build a Major Donor Program from the Ground Up

Most organizations have plenty of donor prospects, without having to go outside and look for prospects who aren’t connected to you. Claire from Clairification Fundraising Coach suggests you don’t start with the most out-of-reach prospects. You can be a major donor prospect rainmaker without having to go outside or reach too far. Even small current […]

Long Read: What does it take to deliver an outstanding donor experience?

Hundreds of development professionals shared their views in the sector’s first professional study into what it takes to deliver an outstanding donor experience. Holly Palmer, Lee Durbin and their team on volunteers crunched and analysed the results to produce a pretty unique report, chock-a-block full of insight. This is an essential read for everyone involved […]

Retention is the New Acquisition

While organizations focus on their development goal and raising money through major gifts, events, direct mail, grants and online, it is often stewardship and retention that fall by the wayside. According to Adrian Sargeant and Elaine Jay, a 10% increase in donor retention can enhance the lifetime value of your donor base by up to […]

Donor Retention: What Do We Know & What Can Nonprofits Do about It?

Retention is one of the Big 5 KPIs to measure, but why is it so important? A 10 percent improvement in attrition can yield up to a 200 percent increase in projected value, as with lower attrition significantly more donors upgrade their giving, give in multiple ways, recommend others, and, ultimately, perhaps, pledge a planned […]

Charity fundraising: how do you ask for, and get, a million pounds?

Raising mega-gifts may be the fastest way for charities to achieve a step-change, but securing such large donations is easier said than done. Matthew Ferguson and Gemma Peters provide invaluable insight into how major gift fundraising from those who have a net wealth of at least £50m is very different to other types of fundraising. […]