Jeremy Reis’ Post

You’re likely sitting on a treasure - your lapsed donor file. Lapsed donors are ones who have given in the past and for whatever reason, stopped giving. Perhaps it was finances, perhaps the donor started giving to a different nonprofit, perhaps the donor had a personal connection to your nonprofit and that personal connection is no longer present. For many donors, the compassion for your cause is still present. Want to reactivate your lapsed donors? Get a lapsed donor to give again by sparking his/her compassion. How do you accomplish that? First, show gratitude to your donor for what he/she has done in the past. Second, tell the donor stories of impact. Show how donors are making an impact. Next, ask directly for a donation. Finally, say “thank you.” When you spark compassion through demonstrating impact in a cause your donor is passionate for, you have a chance to get the lapsed donor to give again. #lapsed #donors #lapseddonors #nonprofit #giving #philanthropy #compassion

You’re likely sitting on a treasure - your lapsed donor file. Lapsed donors are ones who have given in the past and for whatever reason, stopped giving. Perhaps it was finances, perhaps the donor started giving to a different nonprofit, perhaps the donor had a personal connection to your nonprofit and that personal connection is no longer present. For many donors, the compassion for your cause is still present. Want to reactivate your lapsed donors? Get a lapsed donor to give again by sparking his/her compassion. How do you accomplish that? First, show gratitude to your donor for what he/she has done in the past. Second, tell the donor stories of impact. Show how donors are making an impact. Next, ask directly for a donation. Finally, say “thank you.” When you spark compassion through demonstrating impact in a cause your donor is passionate for, you have a chance to get the lapsed donor to give again. #lapsed #donors #lapseddonors #nonprofit #giving #philanthropy #compassion

Unlocking the Power of the 'Small' Donor 🤲🏾 Now more than ever, individuals crave both a meaningful impact and a clear insight into their philanthropic efforts, nonprofits must revamp their approach toward donors. Donor fatigue is real... Realizing the untapped potential of numerous small gifts can be a source of new growth and renewed commitment. In my very humble opinion, nurturing long-term relationships should be prioritized over single-year fundraisers. Regular updates about the impact of donations, even during 'dry' periods, keeps the donor engaged and may inspire significant future contributions or estate gifts. Getting to know your donors on a personal level can unlock their deeper philanthropic desires. Today's $1,000 donor could be tomorrow's $10,000 benefactor if their passion is genuinely recognized and served. "No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted" 💙 #nonprofit #nonprofitleadership #philanthropy #giveback

Your yearend appeal? It's not mailed yet? No worries (we will plan it out earlier next year). Start writing now. Call your printer. See what they can do. Your donors want to hear from you at the end of the year. Many of them look forward to your yearend ask, and I’m sure you have a large percentage of donors who donate in December. The data says so. Stay away from comments that are not helpful (it's too late, etc.) and start writing. Tell the story of your nonprofit and those you serve. Let the donor know how their support can make a difference. Share what the impact of their gift will be. Add a P.S. reminding your donor of the impact or inviting them to connect with you. It can be that simple. But you have to start writing now. #nonprofits #fundraising #charity #giving #leadership #community

Let the word go forth that today, November 7th, I received a #fundraising email asking me to donate to an organization's year-end campaign. Yes, year-end which is 54 days from now. The email states: "Now through December 31, your generous, tax-deductible gift to nonprofit X will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to our $100,000 goal!" And so it begins. P.S. A tip from me: No one cares about your internal fundraising goal. If the focus of your email is "we have to raise X dollars because that's our goal" donors won't give. If you explain the NEED, what the IMPACT will be and how the gifts will be used, you stand a much better chance of hitting whatever arbitrary goal someone at your charity has picked out of a hat.

Just because that gift seems big to you, doesn't mean it seems big to a donor. Recently, while talking with a nonprofit executive about their larger donors, we began discussing a foundation that supported their work. The organization was giving twice what they had originally given so the leader was feeling great about the support level. But with just a little bit of discussion about the foundation, I was able to help them understand that, provided they cast the appropriate vision, that there was no reason they couldn't be soliciting $100,000 gifts from the same foundation. When you approach a donor, it's important that we put aside our preconceived notions and focus our energy on learning the donors perspective instead. It also helps to have a good coach who can help you see when your assumptions about donors are costing your organization money. ;-) #majorgifts #fundraising #philanthropy #charity #nonprofit

Having an abundant vision is important for any nonprofit that wants to inspire donors to give their largest gifts. But even the most brilliant vision is useless if you don't have clear plans for how you are going to reach those goals? Many nonprofits are woefully unprepared in this area. You won't see large donations at your nonprofit if you can't give specifics in the following areas: 1. How will you specifically spend money to accomplish your goals? 2. Who will be in charge of spending that money? 3. What's the timeline for the change to happen? 4. Who's in charge of managing that timeline? 5. In what timeframe will the money need to be spent? 6. How will you know when you've achieved your goal? Questions like these take more time and can be harder to answer than you expect. Many organizations need a helping hand to get to the answer. Do you need help at your nonprofit? Let's set up a meeting to talk! #majorgifts #philanthropy #fundraising #strategicplanning #majorgiftmastery

Ignoring your donors is like inviting them to donate to a different nonprofit. Why would you do that? Ethics of the Fathers tells us: “Acquire a friend for yourself.” Acquire? It means you have to work at it. It’s a fire that must be constantly tended. It’s not a natural relationship, and you can’t take it for granted. When you pay someone attention, they show an interest in you in return. You respond. They respond. Until you finally have a roaring flame. But if you leave it, that flame will die down and eventually go out. So go ahead and feed that fire. Nurture that relationship. Love your donors and they’ll love you back. How do you nurture your donors? If you’re a donor, how do you want to be nurtured? #fundraising #nonprofit #nonprofits #goldfinchcopy Keep the conversation alive with your donors. Work with me on your fundraising strategy, donor communications, and list building.

The other day, I was compiling the best tips for producing a type of fundraising appeal. One of the tips suggested was to simply subscribe to what large nonprofit organizations do and then copy the framework of how they’re doing it. I have to admit: I love giving gifts to organizations to get on their mailing lists and see what they do. Unfortunately, in doing so, I’m finding that many organizations aren’t doing the basics for donor cultivation. They aren’t sending thank yous. They aren’t providing impact reports. They don’t show me where my donation went. They’re sending fundraising appeals that are lackluster. Even worse, often, I never hear from the organization after my initial receipt email. And when they do communicate, it’s not always good. Poorly written copy. Broken links in emails. A disconnect between what I gave for and what’s being asked in the future. A poor donor experience. The organizations that are doing a good job are great examples to follow. Just don’t assume that a larger nonprofit has it all figured out. #fundraising #charity #donations #charitablegiving

The other day, I was compiling the best tips for producing a type of fundraising appeal. One of the tips suggested was to simply subscribe to what large nonprofit organizations do and then copy the framework of how they’re doing it. I have to admit: I love giving gifts to organizations to get on their mailing lists and see what they do. Unfortunately, in doing so, I’m finding that many organizations aren’t doing the basics for donor cultivation. They aren’t sending thank yous. They aren’t providing impact reports. They don’t show me where my donation went. They’re sending fundraising appeals that are lackluster. Even worse, often, I never hear from the organization after my initial receipt email. And when they do communicate, it’s not always good. Poorly written copy. Broken links in emails. A disconnect between what I gave for and what’s being asked in the future. A poor donor experience. The organizations that are doing a good job are great examples to follow. Just don’t assume that a larger nonprofit has it all figured out. #fundraising #charity #donations #charitablegiving