tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49881860622127235342012-02-16T18:01:46.270-06:00Battle cry of the stewardship and donor relations professional.Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.comBlogger481100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-60135299211938782882012-02-01T06:00:00.000-06:002012-02-01T11:51:14.736-06:00

A few months back I wrote a post, “Thank You Videos Worth Watching,” that generated a few comments. Among them was a comment and links to a few videos from Chris Ward, Director of Marketing & Communications at 88.1 KDHX FM, a St. Louis based independent radio station.  The videos were from a recent membership campaign and after viewing them I knew I had to share them with you as a case study.

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-58824842592209373282012-01-25T04:15:00.000-06:002012-01-25T06:47:43.664-06:00

January is typically when people think about resolutions and setting goals. Late January is often when those resolutions start to crumble. Let’s turn that tradition on it’s head: what are you going to stop doing this year? In other words, what will you stop doing for the good of your donors, your organization, and your sanity? I’m going to stop sending student aid endowed donors

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-15901077390936472632012-01-17T10:44:00.000-06:002012-01-17T10:45:57.877-06:00

Are you an individual? Or, are you part of a group? Sure, you think of yourself as part of a group sometimes: you’re a member of your family, your community or place of worship, your country. But most of the time, you make decisions as an individual. You don’t order coffee as a member of the “line at Starbucks” and you definitely don’t give to your favorite organization as part of the group

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-38784109726118920122011-12-21T04:15:00.000-06:002012-01-11T16:24:28.121-06:00

Thank you for reading, subscribing, and commenting! I am looking forward to another year of blogging on stewardship, building my audience, and growing as a donor relations professional. Aren't you? For my last post of 2011, I'd like to look back at the posts that generated the most traffic this year. Top 5 Posts of 2011: Thank You Videos Worth Watching Individual Stewardship Plans Part I (

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-75678564131963378002011-12-14T08:53:00.000-06:002011-12-14T08:53:20.071-06:00

Practice (repetition) makes perfect but reflecting on our practice allows us to become better at what we do. This is why stewardship is so important for your donors. You want them to continue and increase their giving over time but without good stewardship you're inviting your donors to fall into a comfortable pattern of giving at the same level.Stewardship gives your donors a chance to

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-78051045260139272142011-11-30T05:00:00.000-06:002011-11-30T05:00:08.979-06:00

If there has ever been an appropriate time for the low hanging fruit analogy, this is it. It’s time to start making your year-end reminder calls. Get your list of LYBUNT or SYBUNT donors and hit the phones! Two reasons why you want to do this: 1. Revenue: We know that donors who give do it because someone asked them to. Get on the phone and ask! A possible introduction could be, “I noticed

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-78292603301389636412011-11-16T09:49:00.001-06:002011-11-17T06:24:38.463-06:00

You have never had a more brilliant idea. As you imagine the bright future it will cause, you realize it will change the way you do everything.There’s just one problem. It’s impossible.Or is it?The truth is, you can do it. You need an implementation plan. An implementation plan is your road map for success when tackling seemingly impossible projects. Occasionally, projects need more than an

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-92181006927059105492011-11-09T04:14:00.000-06:002011-11-09T04:14:00.874-06:00

If you’re looking for the best post project donor thank you video featuring student talent, look no further than the "Stroh Center Rap," produced recently by Bowling Green State University in Ohio.  The $36 million dollar Stroh Center, which recently opened, is a state of the art convocation center. It's not just for athletics; it will also be serving the community and university as well as

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-8683898566645523932011-11-02T07:30:00.000-05:002011-11-02T07:30:05.283-05:00

Better than any chachka or token of appreciation, and sometimes even cheaper, is the power you have to make a direct connection between your donors and end-recipients.Forget about navigating IRS regulations and give your donors something that matters: direct contact with people they have helped.If you’re a school, it’s your students.If you’re a homeless shelter, it’s the homeless.If you help

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-32907430657464273112011-10-12T04:56:00.000-05:002011-10-12T04:56:00.265-05:00

What is the difference between surprising a donor and merely keeping their attention and engagement? Surprise: 1a: an attack made without warning b: a taking unawares 2: something that surprises 3: the state of being surprised : astonishment (Definition Compliments of Merriam-Webster) At a recent event for donors who are members of our giving society, we invited Thomas Jefferson and

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-89198033197523332912011-09-28T05:23:00.000-05:002011-09-28T08:06:52.704-05:00

Katya's Non Profit Marketing Blog recently featured the results of a study by Donor Voice that examined donor commitment and its impact on giving. I’ll give you one guess as to what the study found. You are correct! More committed donors tend to give more. A lot more, actually. The study found that for every 1,000 donors who move from low commitment to high commitment, you can expect a

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-71176903729015331502011-09-26T05:30:00.000-05:002011-09-26T07:43:33.179-05:00

With few exceptions, the way you acknowledge your donor's gifts should be proportional to the amount that they give. Obviously, you don’t name buildings after people who give $1 to your organization. Likewise, you don’t send your million dollar donors a post card that says “thanks.” If you had to do a quick sketch of the big picture view of your acknowledgement program, ideally you would come

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-26490044446011437622011-09-08T18:15:00.000-05:002011-09-09T06:18:06.937-05:00

If you want 250 examples of excellent stewardship look no further than Charity Water. To celebrate their 5th anniversary, staff members spent a day putting together 250 personalized thank you videos for donors who gave this year. In the introduction video you get a good sense for the flavor of the thank you videos that follow – they’re quirky, funny, and personal. It’s clear that Charity Water

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-40810925405786652472011-08-05T08:23:00.003-05:002011-08-05T08:29:28.237-05:00

Scattershot stewardship is when you thank everyone in the same way hoping (without basing this hope on any sort of data) that something good will happen. Anecdotally, it’s defensible. But anecdotes rarely pan out, especially in fundraising. Let’s pretend for a moment that your job depends on your ability to break a window in a building nearby. You’re standing in the parking lot. You’re armed

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-82342166472057258372011-07-26T22:08:00.000-05:002011-07-26T22:08:05.469-05:00

There has been a lot of discussion recently about whether or not you should include an ask in your thank you letter. Definitely not. Michael Rosen recently wrote a post detailing why not. But I don’t think the debate is about whether or not to ask for a second gift in a thank you letter. Donors who have just given are likely to give again, so the real question is this: How can I maximize my

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-43541269142147408062011-07-12T21:14:00.000-05:002011-07-12T21:14:47.978-05:00

The best way to make sure your donors know they are making a difference is by letting them know that they’ve made a difference. An important step is having a strategy for how you will communicate the “you made a difference” (YMAD) message and track the results. (Thanks to Jeff Brooks for highlighting Jeff Schreifels and Richard Perry’s post at Passionate Giving.)  Feeling inspired by their

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-23111018176357029672011-07-06T22:04:00.000-05:002011-07-06T22:04:09.553-05:00

Do the things on your to-do list prevent you from actually doing the work you were hired to do? We are most valuable to our organizations when we are doing the work – taking the time to innovate, to improve procedures, to improve the programs we run. But often, it feels like we're stuck in a never ending to-do list that prevents us from actually doing the work. Of course, there is a balance. Do

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-30903617063137340392011-06-28T22:03:00.000-05:002011-06-28T22:03:25.111-05:00

Thank you to the 45 brave souls who survived this 4 question survey. Please excuse the rather crude way I've shared the results. I ran into several dead ends while trying to figure out a high tech way to share these results. In the end, scanning to a PDF of Google’s summary made the most sense. I thought the most interesting part of this survey was finding out that of the 45 of you that took the

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-86514731257504210032011-06-21T21:18:00.001-05:002011-10-13T19:49:13.795-05:00

Video thank yous can bring your donors face to face with the students and programs they support. Short of actually being there in person, it’s hard to think of a better way to share with your donors the impact of their gifts. In the process of making video thank yous a part of my stewardship routine, I first wanted to see what’s out there. Thanks to the ADRP listserv, I was able to

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-54645974331612452122011-06-15T22:11:00.005-05:002011-06-29T09:15:07.928-05:00

As any analytics fearing blogger would, I keep an eye on keywords that lead people to this blog. "New Donor Welcome Packet" and a multitude of variations on that idea consistently top the list. Won't you help me help you by taking this short survey? Thanks! The survey is now closed - come see the results!

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-43719915446479408902011-06-13T13:35:00.002-05:002012-01-04T08:08:42.857-06:00

Previously, we covered setting goals and policies. In this post, you'll learn how to: reconcile your current and future stewardship program by identifying and filling gaps. You’ve finished getting a good look at your “as-is” stewardship program and are ready to reconcile that with your dream program. The good news is that while the gaps in your current program will be obvious, the solutions

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-57956445242598541232011-06-07T12:56:00.001-05:002011-06-13T14:10:26.057-05:00

When you sit back and daydream about what your stewardship program could be, what comes to mind? This post will help you turn those ideas into reality. In Part I, I wrote about documenting your current program. Now, in Part II, I'll cover: • How to set goals for your program and • How to make sure your goals are aligned with your initiatives Now that you’ve thoroughly documented how things

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-59852876637134543432011-06-02T22:40:00.000-05:002011-06-02T22:40:32.556-05:00

If you’re interested in being more innovative but don’t know how to given the limits of your organization you must read Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace  by Gordon MacKenzie. In the book MacKenzie chronicles his 30 year career at Hallmark and explains how he maintained a culture of creativity and innovation within the soul-crushing confines of the

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-56717853484379875602011-05-31T21:34:00.000-05:002011-05-31T21:34:33.091-05:00

When you create opportunities for your donors or end users to comment on their experience you often get valuable, credible feedback. When you take that feedback and weave it into your communication strategy, you get a first rate feedback loop. That’s right, a feedback loop.  It’s a new term I made up that describes when donors can see what other donors are saying about their experience. Instead

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-57295494241339327972011-05-31T05:00:00.003-05:002012-01-04T08:02:02.870-06:00

Over the next few weeks I’ll launch a multi-part series explaining how you can do an in-house audit of your stewardship program. The process is valuable because it • informs your decisions about what initiatives or programs could be continued, improved, or invented; • is a great way to make a case for increased resources or funding for your stewardship program; and • enables you to

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-22351308699948090142011-05-23T13:44:00.000-05:002011-05-23T13:44:52.530-05:00

Another idea that’s stuck with me after reading Good to Great by Jim Collins is this: while it’s tempting to think that companies able to go from good to great made one or two amazing changes, the reality is that the transition happened by way of thousands upon thousands of consistent small steps in the right direction. Collins describes an enormous flywheel and the effort it would take to get

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-26148090448060871452011-05-15T21:56:00.000-05:002011-05-15T21:56:26.783-05:00

Stewardship is about setting up a series or system of reminders. At no point is stewardship a “set it and forget it” kind of activity. It’s about carefully and strategically managing relationships. It’s about using data to inform your decisions. It’s about prioritizing for the good of your cause. It’s about cultivating donors who repeatedly give major gifts. It’s about identifying

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-1587485456877206662011-05-08T23:03:00.000-05:002011-05-08T23:03:07.777-05:00

Over the past few months I’ve started sending out New Donor Welcome Packets to all first time donors. As I looked through the huge excel file of first time donors who have given year-to-date, it became extremely clear that one size will not fit all. One version of your New Donor Welcome Packet might not cut it. The point of having a welcome packet is to show your donors how much you want to

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-60754850933868718292011-05-05T05:45:00.004-05:002011-10-14T14:44:41.917-05:00

It would be a waste of revenue to surprise and delight every single donor you have. But it is a missed opportunity if you don’t plan to strategically take your stewardship from good enough to magical (a fist bump to Sasha Dichter for inspiring this post). If you take a look at the data on your annual fund donors, you’ll probably find a few trends you can use to your advantage. One approach

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-23262167391624200172011-05-02T22:21:00.000-05:002011-05-02T22:21:42.238-05:00

I’m halfway through Good to Great by Jim Collins. Here’s an idea worth thinking about: More important than what you choose to do is what you choose not to do. As I put together a comprehensive stewardship plan, I’ve been spending a lot of time choosing what to do and focus on. I’ve been poring over Target Analytics reports, analyzing trends, and determining what metrics to use to measure success

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-48347719577549875392011-04-24T21:43:00.000-05:002011-04-24T21:43:05.501-05:00

In Part I, I covered 5 tips to consider as you develop your individual stewardship plan program. Today, it’s all about 5 things no ISP should be missing: 1. Basic information. For the donors you select, include everything you need to identify them. You don’t need every detail, but you should have enough so that the ISP will help you save time when you look at it. I would include name, donor ID,

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-14569026919126869442011-04-21T15:00:00.001-05:002011-04-21T15:00:02.958-05:00

Have you stopped to ask yourself if your stewardship initiatives or ideas advance you toward your goals? This is alignment, and it is crucial to your success in stewardship. Nothing great has ever been done without alignment. Plenty of ok things have been done with so-so alignment. But why would you ever want that for your donors? If you know it’s possible to accomplish amazing things through

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-74672960800592465032011-04-19T11:19:00.002-05:002012-01-11T16:23:03.064-06:00

Do you have an individual stewardship plan for your major donors? Individual stewardship plans (ISP) are custom strategies for your donors with the highest potential for giving major gifts. An ISP is an opportunity to systematically wow your top donors and help them understand how integral they are to your organization’s ability to achieve its goals. Here are 5 ISP tips: 1. Create a

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-54750196020768696232011-04-15T12:11:00.001-05:002011-04-21T14:01:37.222-05:00

That’s what I’ve gleaned this week reading the Agitator (also this from today), with their focus on retention rates and donor relations. There are clearly many sides to the donor retention puzzle – cultivation, the quality of the new donors you’ve cultivated, your new donor welcome and acknowledgement program, and how you solicit the second gift. If you are getting lousy quality donors to give

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-34781898646458152402011-04-14T16:25:00.005-05:002011-07-08T16:19:30.105-05:00

While it might be tempting to take your stewardship practice to a new level of sophistication, it has to be rooted in a simple idea. At the most basic level, you must make sure that every donor that gives is appropriately recognized. At the most basic level, that’s a combination tax receipt and thank you letter. Though I’m not an architect or an engineer, I would be willing to bet that the

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-66403161442486605092011-04-13T06:51:00.003-05:002011-04-21T14:01:16.828-05:00

When a non-profit is successful, its donors can see the impact of their giving. Effective stewardship helps donors understand why their giving is important, and encourages continued support. On the other hand, customer service is about maximizing profit. Both are important, here’s why:A business can’t run without sales. Likewise, a non-profit isn’t successful unless it has achieved its goals. 

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-41587082594586745082011-04-11T06:00:00.004-05:002011-04-21T14:01:03.739-05:00

Written in 2008, it’s not exactly hot off the press. Fundraising Analytics by Joshua M. Birkholz (his blog) is one of those rare books that is a few steps above the latest trend or fad. It’s going to be the book I recommend to anyone starting out in fundraising. Fundraising Analytics boils down to just one idea: “you need to know the numbers.” That’s the crux of the matter. As Birkholz points

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-28852427224025913322011-04-06T14:55:00.004-05:002011-04-21T14:00:48.082-05:00

This webinar was targeted at marketing professionals, but I see quite a bit of overlap between marketing and stewardship/donor relations. Whether you’re marketing a product/service, or helping a donor see the impact of their giving, it’s all about building relationships.Some key takeaways: Social Media is about building relationships and connecting. It takes a lot of time. In the short run, it’s

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-85951431862272067132011-04-05T10:30:00.006-05:002011-04-21T14:00:34.193-05:00

I’m reading “Fundraising Analytics” by Joshua M. Birkholz and absolutely loving it. It doesn’t read quickly but that’s ok because there are so many valuable ideas inside. I’ll post a review of the book when I’m done.  First, some ideas I’ve gleaned about prioritization. Prioritization is the key to successful and efficient stewardship. It’s the key because prioritization allows you to

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-31767121439940858552011-03-31T12:59:00.005-05:002011-04-21T14:14:18.188-05:00

Use effective stewardship of donor-restricted funds to build relationships with your donors. You can’t expect donors to give if they aren’t engaged. Here are some ideas: 1. Give them an annual update on the status of their fund. Treat the update like a report on an investment. Tell the donor how the money was used, who or what benefited, and give a projection as to how the fund will be

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-18760026949877387062011-03-30T12:36:00.005-05:002011-06-15T23:15:46.068-05:00

I mailed my first few New Donor Welcome Packets today. The welcome packet is designed to give new donors all the information they need to get engaged and (hopefully) continue giving. What’s inside: Envelope with “Welcome New Donor” as a teaser (sorry Jeff Brooks). In my defense, I'm hand addressing the envelopes. A welcome letter thanking them for the gift and welcoming them into  the club. In

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-6752264368151656752011-03-28T12:37:00.007-05:002011-06-23T08:24:14.981-05:00

If you have any interest in improving or establishing a presence on social media for your organization, I would highly recommend taking a look at this book. Though I'm on the non-profit side of this, and you may be too, I think it's 100% applicable to what we do. The premise: because of social media, we’re back to the ‘good old days’ manners, customer service, and caring. Gone are the days when

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-65173170175985279662011-03-25T08:00:00.004-05:002012-01-12T15:14:11.862-06:00

The title of this blog is my mission as a new Stewardship and Donor Relations professional. I hope you will make it your battle cry as well. If your organization is anything like the one I work for, stewardship and donor relations are things that have been done by many people across many offices, until now. Now, there is one person (me) who is in charge of centralizing and coordinating all of

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-72227076326549794172011-03-24T12:54:00.003-05:002011-04-21T13:57:08.145-05:00

I am absolutely loving this book. It's focused on business but I'm finding quite a bit to think about for non-profit stewardship. I'll post a full review when I'm done but for now, here's a quote: "A small company might be able to win the war of relying on social media alone, but a larger company should think of social media as the Navy SEAL unit of its armed forces. Small, targeted, and hugely

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-69788119108075003092011-03-22T10:40:00.006-05:002011-04-21T13:56:52.674-05:00

We deride Marie Antoinette as being completely out of touch with her constituents when she allegedly suggested the rioting masses could use some cake. With a little market research she may have kept her head. But aren't we doing the exact same thing? When it comes right down to it, you have to give your donors and alumni what they want and what they ask for. Don’t waste time thinking about what

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-25223731132087447792011-03-21T13:11:00.003-05:002011-04-21T13:56:37.500-05:00

Work at a higher level of intensity and get more done with these three tips.  No paper left behind: Every piece of paper that crosses my desk has a specific place. This includes documents filed on your computer. If I have to spend more than a few seconds (literally, if I count to 3) thinking about where I put a piece of paper, or where a piece of paper should be filed, I make a new file or make

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-76748989763927935842011-03-11T13:27:00.005-06:002011-04-21T13:56:22.974-05:00

I know this from my two years in Teach for America: you must treat all of your donors (students) the same. Once you do that, you must treat everyone differently, because they really are different. Sounds complex, right? It is. Give everyone the same treatment. Then, differentiate like crazy. It has to be in that order. If it’s not in that order, you run the risk of being inconsistent. If you’re

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988186062212723534.post-91201855935501358442011-03-11T08:27:00.002-06:002011-04-21T13:54:12.175-05:00

 If you are planning to rob a bank, you develop a plan. You wouldn’t say you had a strategy. You’re trying to get in the door, get the money, and get out. A plan is how to get from point A to point B. If you need to increase alumni engagement, donor retention, or establish a stewardship program then you need strategy. You need a strategy because more than getting from point A (fewer donors)

Adrian Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17839611582286558163noreply@blogger.com0