Southeast Donor Relations Conference Was Excellent, Yet Again!
Last week Robin and I had to divide and conquer. I went to the Southeast Donor Relations Conference in Charlotte sponsored by the Association of Donor Relations Professionals while she attended the Georgia Association of Development Professionals annual meeting in St. Simons. She got the beach . . . but I got the brains (which is all right by me)! This group is smart and fun-loving. As is the case every year, they are raising the bar for what donor relations means as a distinct and necessary part of their organizations. Continue reading »
Filed under Anne Manner-McLarty, Donor Communications, Social Media, Stewardship, Think Before You Thank | Tags: Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Capital Campaign, Communications, Development, Fundraising, Naming Opportunities, Social Media, Stewardship, Think Before You Thank | Comment (0)Will Jumo.com Bring Tools Needed for Online Donor Relations?
As donor recognition consultants, we’ve been monitoring the social media tools available for online donor communication. Last week’s technology and philanthropy pages were a-buzz with news of Facebook co-founder, Chris Hughes’ latest idea, Jumo.com. The site claims, “Jumo brings together everyday individuals and organizations to speed the pace of global change. We connect people to the issues, organizations, and individuals relevant to them to foster lasting relationships and meaningful action.” Hughes’ e-blast announcement was quoted as saying, “We believe we can leverage the participatory web to foster long-term engagement with the issues and organizations that are relevant to each individual.” Continue reading »
Filed under Anne Manner-McLarty, Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Philanthropy, Social Media, Stewardship | Tags: Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Communications, Development, Philanthropy, Social Media, Stewardship, Trends in Fundraising | Comments OffTime to Rethink Your Approach to Social Media?
Last December, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Internet, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency hosted the DARPA Network Challenge to explore the role of the Internet and social networking in contemporary communication. Whether influenced by recent events, like political protest in Iran or Columbia, or not, the rules of the contest were simple. DARPA moored ten eight foot red weather balloons in different locations across the continental United States, and teams tried to track them down as quickly as possible. While most of us were putting the finishing touches on our holiday shopping, a team from MIT tracked down all ten balloons in just under nine hours. Continue reading »
Filed under Donor Communications, Philanthropy, Social Media, Stewardship, Think Before You Thank | Tags: Communications, Development, Facebook, Friend Raising, Fundraising, new media, online giving, Philanthropy, Social Media, Trends in Fundraising | Comments OffUnintended Messages in Thanking!
This picture is the result of an actual donor complaint. An elderly donor drove by the building named for her husband in order to show it to a friend. As soon as she returned home from her “drive-by”, she called Institutional Advancement. Her exact words to the Stewardship Manager, I did not overhear, yet I can imagine her chagrin. Suffice it to say that she felt that this building represents his legacy and in the past she found great comfort from seeing his name on it. And I do know she very pointedly asked questions as to the importance of his legacy to the university! It was, I was told, a difficult phone call to manage.
