Donor Stewardship: More Than Thank You Notes

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines stewardship as “the office, duties, and obligations of a steward” and “the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care ”

Don't Miss These 5 Tips to Improve Donor Communications

According to a study by Frank C. Dickerson, Ph.D., emotion and human-interest narratives work better in fundraising communications because of the way in which the brain is hardwired to process language. You can easily test this theory out yourself in other areas, such as news stories that go viral across the nation. These news reports are often compelling because there is a story and human-interest narrative that goes along with the facts that are reported. A weather report is not nearly as interesting until there is a story of personal hardship or a story of a community coming together to overcome a tragedy.

Right Brain or Left Brain Marketing: You Need Both!

According to left-brain, right-brain theories, the right side of the brain excels at creative, emotional, and intuitive responses while the left hemisphere of the brain is well equipped for tasks such as logic and analytical reasoning. An interesting read in this area is the bestselling book, My Stroke of Insight, by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist who suffered a massive stroke that disrupted her left-brain circuitry.

Turning Obstacles into Golden Opportunities

Most planned giving professionals frequently face obstacles in pursuit of their goals. For instance, a long-time donor may fail to properly execute his or her will before death; family members may dispute a donor’s charitable bequest; a loyal donor may suddenly stop supporting your organization, and so on.

3 Reasons Why Newsletters Don't Get Read

Newsletters are still a major part of most nonprofits’ marketing plans for planned giving, and for good reason—when done right, newsletters are well-read and are an excellent way to elicit response from some highly qualified prospective donors. But readers get turned off when newsletters make one of the three errors described below.

The Autobiographical Connection - Why Your Donors' Life Stories Matter

MRI studies show a visible brain response between donor recollections of their life stories and their willingness to engage in charitable bequest giving, according to Russell James III, JD, PhD, professor at Texas Tech University. What does that mean for planned giving professionals? It means that your focus should be donor-centric. In other words, when soliciting a bequest, or other planned gift, you will want to ask about and listen to your donor’s life story rather than simply communicating the needs of your organization.

Crafting Better Donor Thank You Letters

When it comes to writing donor appreciation letters, how can you make your written communications stand apart and get noticed? Think about the mail you receive on a daily basis. Which pieces do you toss away, which pieces do you take a moment to browse through, and which pieces do you set aside to read more carefully at a future date? Likely, your donors are not much different than you in their mail-sorting habits. If something catches their attention, either visually or by way of a topic that sounds engaging, then it has a greater chance of getting read.

Ten Ways to Improve Your Donor Observation and Communication Skills

Planned giving professionals are in the people business. As Amy Herman, J.D., M.A., Art of Perception educator and seminar trainer states, it’s not the financial aspects that lose deals. It’s the miscommunications, tone of voice, and lack of listening during human interactions that cause deals to fall through. Amy enthusiastically spoke last year at the National Conference on Philanthropic Planning. According to her training program, astute observation is critical to better communication and listening skills. Using works of art in the museum setting, she trains people in the art of perception so they can successfully perform their professional responsibilities.