Follow the BOY Rule
Because Of You. Let your donors know how important they are— that you couldn’t have done it without them. “Because of you . . .”
Attrition Is Your Enemy
It is something that should be measured monthly. If it is around 40%, you should be concerned. Over 50% to 60%, you need to worry about it. Over 60%, you have a serious problem.
Pointers for Professionals
Here are some pointers I feel are important for a professional to practice. Not just now and then. Always.
Five Levels of Giving
Those who give without even being asked. Those who need to be asked— but when asked will make their gift. Those who need to be persuaded— and once persuaded will make a gift. Those who need to be persuaded— they may or may not make a gift. The inert fifth— they will never make a […]
Get to Know Your Prospect
Keep in mind that a prospect is a real person. They don’t want you to think they have a sign across their chest that says, “I give money away.” They have love, happiness, joy. They have grief, problems, and concerns. Get to know them.
Strategy for Talking to Couples
A factor you can be pretty certain of is that husbands and wives discuss their philanthropy. That means that if you are going for a large personal gift, it would be the right strategy to talk to the husband and wife together.
The Culture of Not Asking
In some organizations, there isn’t a problem with a culture of giving. The problem is a culture of not asking. It’s absolutely amazing what you don’t get when you don’t ask.
Giving Begets Giving
We have a saying that, “you can’t go to the same well too often.” It means that you can’t always go to the same people all the time for gifts. As a matter of fact, that’s exactly where you do go. Those who give will give again. And again. Giving begets giving.
What Is the Most Effective Piece in Your Campaign?
It’s not your fancy four-color brochure. And it’s not your case statement.
Being Good Financial Stewards
I like the approach Florida Hospital (Orlando) took in one of their recent appeals: “Just because we’re asking for a Gift doesn’t mean we’re not good enough to earn a surplus over expense to balance our budget. What it means is that rather than paying our profit out to shareholders, our profit is reinvested into [&hell
