by Eddie Thompson | Nov 8, 2017 | Donor Communications
In the next two or three blog posts, I’m returning to a familiar theme—visiting donors, cultivating relationships, and securing donations. Building long-term donor relations is an acquired skill that should be exercised and perfected over time. You can’t just wander...
by Eddie Thompson | Sep 20, 2017 | Donor Communications
There are social rules embedded in our culture that influence our decision-making processes and our interactions with others. One of the most powerful and sometimes almost irresistible is the rule of reciprocity. When we receive gifts, favors, invitations, or random...
by Eddie Thompson | Mar 13, 2017 | Donor Communications
Imagine having a long list of major donors just waiting for the chance to spend a little time with you. They all want to tell you about themselves, hear about your cause, and hope to build a long-term relationship. You spend your days telling organizational stories,...
by Eddie Thompson | Feb 15, 2017 | Development Management, Donor Communications
Trying to fill a bucket that leaked as quickly as you could pour water into it would be a frustrating way to spend your day—or your career. That’s how many fundraising professionals feel when all the gains they make in donor acquisition are lost in the next year to...
by Eddie Thompson | Nov 17, 2016 | Charitable Estate Planning, Donor Communications
Several years ago I posted a blog about the two big questions donors need to answer before pulling the trigger on a major gift, bequest, or planned gift. The first question regards what they would need to live on for the rest of their lives. Since most donors...
by Eddie Thompson | Oct 17, 2016 | Charitable Estate Planning, Donor Communications
In the previous blog I explained why the fulfillment rate of donor bequests was either good news or bad news, depending primarily on whether your organization has a progressive or regressive approach—that is, whether or not organizational leaders truly believe they...
