Emerging Trends in Donor Relations
This new decade heralds significant changes for Donor Relations and its influence on fundraising success. We see that these emerging trends share a common theme: to build better relationships with donors as a means of fostering greater giving. As is the case with all relationships in our current crowded, information-saturated world, the emphasis will be on the quality, not the quantity, of donor interactions.
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Chairs, Professorships and Scholarships are Underappreciated on Campus
In our recent survey to Georgia Education Advancement Council members, who are responsible for fundraising and communication efforts at the state’s colleges and universities, we learned a lot about methods and attitudes related to non facility-based gift recognition. By that term I mean, gifts aimed at named chairs, professorships and scholarships as opposed to those that name a room or building.
Filed under Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Donor Recognition Programs, Recognition Environments, Stewardship, Think Before You Thank | Tags: area naming, Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Communications, Fundraising, Naming Opportunities, Philanthropy, Stewardship, Think Before You Thank, Trends in Fundraising | Comments OffLovely vs Functional Displays
Just a quick word of warning to those of you about to sign that contract with your favorite vendor for a lovely display . . . is that display also functional? Will it become another pretty thing that you outgrow or find disappointing in its ability to serve over time?
Filed under Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Donor Communications, Recognition Environments, Robin E. Williams, Stewardship, Think Before You Thank | Tags: Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Donor Recognition, donor wall, environmental graphic design, Stewardship, Successes, Think Before You Thank | Comments (2)“Buying Legacy”: Donors RARELY give for self-serving reasons!
A recent Bloomberg article blew my mind! It’s titled, Getting Your Name on a Building Gets Cheaper as Non-Profits Compete. The article considers the possibility that donors may be able to negotiate gift amounts for naming opportunities during this economic crisis. True enough. Yet it also calls the act of giving “the price for immortality,” claiming that donors “buy” recognition. Nowhere in the article is there any mention of the basic tenet that donors give out of passion for a cause and that they do so to advance the mission of the organization. I’m offended on behalf of all philanthropists and fundraisers. I can only hope that the fundraising consultants mentioned in the article were misquoted to serve the author’s sarcastic premise. Continue reading »
Filed under Anne Manner-McLarty, Donor Communications, Donor Recognition Programs, Philanthropy | Tags: Capital Campaign, Donor Recognition, Fundraising, giving, Naming Opportunities, Philanthropy, Think Before You Thank, Trends in Fundraising | Comments Off