One of the most basic relationship errors we all make is when we believe others' thoughts are just like our own thoughts.

It gets you into relationship trouble fast.

It also gets you into fundraising trouble. Especially the common decision to "go easy" on donors because you're pretty sure they're tired of hearing from you or have nothing left to give.

When you do that, you are assuming that what's in your head is also in theirs.

Here's a reality check from the Veritus Group Blog, at My Donor Can’t Give More:

When you say “my donor can’t give more” or “my donor is tired of me asking them for help,” it usually means that these are beliefs of yours. They are not grounded in fact nor in the experience of those of us who know that giving is an act of kindness and sharing that transcends money.

It's so easy to psyche yourself into not doing your job of connecting with donors. After all, you are paying close attention to every fundraising project you do. It gets repetitious -- if it doesn't, you aren't doing it right!

Add to that the occasional comment from donors that they hear from you too much or they can't or don't want to give, and going silent can seem like a smart move.

All you get from going silent is fewer donations. And falling donor retention.

Remember -- it feels good to give.

That's why they do it.

Your job is to give them good reasons to choose you for this feel-good activity.

How's 2021 going for you?

I know about one group of fundraisers that are having a record year.

Another one. They did great in 2020 because they connected relevantly with donors as the pandemic swept through our lives. As a result, they grew their donor files, and many of their existing donors upgraded their giving.

Now they're building on the smart work they did, and their fundraising is charging along at a high level.

Who are these lucky donors? They're members of The Fundraisingology Lab by Moceanic. That's a membership community of smart fundraisers around the world.

It might be just the thing for you. Want to know what members of The Fundraisingology Lab are saying? Check it out:

Joining The Fundraisingolgy Lab has pushed all my actions as a fundraiser to the next level. I have had more successes with targets and donor interactions than I could have predicted.

This member loves the community that comes with joining The Fundraisingology Lab:

The Fundraisingology Lab is a community like no other. Not only is it supportive and extremely helpful in its Q&As but it is progressive and offers up to date practical advice, all at learn-at-your-own-pace courses.

The community is what will really blow you away. Imagine having constant access to a group of cool, smart people who love to help you with advice, ideas, and (sometimes) shoulders to cry on...

I have some bad news for you: The Fundraisingology Lab is just one day away from closing its doors to new members.

Tomorrow (September 23) at midnight (US Eastern Time), is the very last moment you can join. And it's going to be a very long time before enrollment opens up again. Possibly a full year. Which is a long wait for the best fundraising training, resources, and community anywhere. Too long, for our fast-moving lives!

So go and check it out right now. (When you follow this link, you won't be railroaded into joining. It's just information to help you decide. You owe it to yourself and your organization to take a look and see if it's right for you.

If you decide to join The Fundraisingology Lab, you will have access to:

• Access to a massive library of fundraising learning content. The complete Moceanic curriculum of online courses and workshops are at your fingertips. Powerful and practical stuff from fundraising gurus like Lisa Sargent, Harvey McKinnnon, Erica Waasdorp, Tom Ahern, and more.
  
• Support from the experts. Get answers to your most pressing questions during regular live Q&A video calls. This has never been more important as we all learn together about the new challenges face.
  
• The coolest community of fundraisers on the Planet. Connect with fundraisers who support each other and brainstorm together. See their emergency appeals, how they communicate with donors about the coronavirus and how they are adapting their fundraising.
  
• Your Fundraising Success Path. Navigate through the 5 critical stages of fundraising to make the most of your membership.
  
• Career credentials. Earn your Fundraising Specialist Certificate and loads of CE points available for CFREs.
  
• Members-Only Weekly Emails. Get expert tips, new training announcements, Q&A call schedules, and more.
  
• Moceanic Marketplace. A community where members who need suppliers connect with members who are suppliers.
  
• Time-saving resources. Checklists, cheat-sheets, guides, spreadsheets, and workbooks to boost your fundraising results -- now and as the situation changes.
  

What does it all add up to?

For this member, it meant finding a new job:

I was furloughed at the start of lockdown, then made redundant. BUT, buoyed by the expertise shared in The Fundraisingology Lab, I set out to find my new role and got a new job as Development Manager for a wonderful, life-saving international charity.

It's worth taking a look at the very least. If you let this opportunity slip by, your only option will be to get on the membership waiting list, which means, well, waiting. And waiting. And waiting. While conditions change and you struggle to keep up.

Don't let that happen to you. Check out The Fundraisingology Lab here.

Writing fundraising is unlike other kinds of writing. Some of what makes fundraising work would absolutely make your writing teachers heads fly off.

Knowing the difference and breaking the habits instilled in us by other forms of writing is the key to success in fundraising.

Here are some of the startling differences from Hands-On Fundraising, at So you want to write to donors:

1. Kind beats clever. Being clever in your writing can be very satisfying. But it rarely works in fundraising. Your goal is for readers to internalize a need and feel empowered to do something about it. Not to crack a knowing smile or admire the writer. Always stay on the task of encouraging kindness. (Also, humor does not cross generational lines easily. What's clever to you is often opaque to donors.)
   
2. Simple is better than complex. Few donors are going to take the time to understand a complex ideas. Keep fundraising simple and crystal clear.
   
3. People respond to people, not statistics. The part of the brain the engages with statistic is a long way from the part that decides to give away money. If you engage one, the other is left out in the cold. That's why stories move people while statistics turn them away.
   
4. Your words are not as powerful as a great image. A picture is worth a thousand words. Probably more. That means when you have a photo that tells the story, use it. And when you have a photo that doesn't tell your story don't use it!
   
5. People skim. Or skip. Let them. Few of your readers start with the first word and then read everything in order, the way you and I do. Write for skimmers. Make lots of visual entry points by keeping paragraphs short, underlining the most important stuff. And be repetitive. Repetitive. Repetitive.
   
6. Helping makes us feel good. It's easy to imagine that donors are annoyed by your appeals. We hear from annoyed donors. But the bigger and more important truth is that donors choose to be donors because it makes their lives better. Every time you go to them with an ask, you're giving them a chance to feel better and be better.
   

The top characteristic of an effective writer is the ability to adapt to the situation you're writing in. Fundraising is different, and knowing the difference is your key to success.

Just two days left to join The Fundraisingology Lab? It's the top membership for smart fundraisers around the world -- with the best training, best resources, and best community you'll find anywhere. Enrollment is open until September 23 (11:59 pm US Eastern time). Check out The Fundraisingology Lab here!

Another jaded but accurate look at the world of brand thought, from Marketoonist:

Is your brand, like so many others, an expression of hubris?

(Hubris means excessive pride and self-confidence that in literature often leads to a character's downfall.)

A smart brand -- especially a smart nonprofit brand -- is about what your organization means to its "customers."

Beware of the self-importance that often comes along with branding work. IF that happens, your "downfall" is just around the corner.

Just three days left to join The Fundraisingology Lab? It's the top membership for smart fundraisers around the world -- with the best training, best resources, and best community you'll find anywhere. Enrollment is open until September 23 (11:59 pm US Eastern time). Check out The Fundraisingology Lab here!

It's easy to get tired of asking.

It's even easier to get the sense that you shouldn't be asking as often as you do.

But those feelings -- both of them -- are feelings within you. They have little to do with donors. Assuming that your feelings mirror those of donors is a fundamental error that can kill your fundraising.

A better way of thinking about this is to acknowledge that the way things feel for you and for donors are not closely connected. Because you put so much energy and thought into each time you ask, you grow tired of asking a lot sooner than they even notice you're there.

Here's some helpful perspective from the Fundraising Coach at Don't Grow Weary:

Most of our donors are extremely busy people. Generous, but extremely busy. So your consistent, reliable attempts to contact them are actually a service. You are trying to help them do another valuable thing with their time and money.

Don't psych your self out before you've got through to them!

Join The Fundraisingology Lab while there's still time. It's the top membership for smart fundraisers around the world -- with the best training, best resources, and best community you'll find anywhere. Enrollment ends September (11:59 pm US Eastern time). After that, it will be a long time before it's possible to join. Check out The Fundraisingology Lab here!

Have you heard this one? "If we talk like that, people will think we're unprofessional!"

It's what someone at a nonprofit will sometimes say when they object to strong, urgent, emotional language in fundraising. It's not "professional."

Is professional an important quality in fundraising? Or, more to the point, is seeming professional an important quality. (Because I know you are professional!)

I've written a lot of fundraising for hospitals and medical centers. In that capacity, I've interviewed many patients who are also donors. Nearly all of those patient/donors, when talking about why they feel grateful and connected to the hospital that treated them, talk about how they personally connected with their doctors and other medical staff.

They tell me the staff are human. Kind. Patient. They listened. They took time. They got to know me as a person.

Some of the people I talk to also mention the skill, knowledge, and professionalism they encountered. But that's almost an after-thought. A given.

They expect, even require, professionalism from their doctors. But what really makes the difference for them is human warmth and personal connection.

And I think this tells us something about how our fundraising should feel.

Being professional is critical. But feeling personal is even more important.

And that means if you're trading away the personal-touch for a more professional image, you are making a big mistake.

There's a name for someone who's 100% "professional": It's bureaucrat.

There are doctors like that. Highly skilled, totally buttoned down. Saving lives all the time. But they don't awaken that sense of love and connection with their patients.

Don't be like that! Your donors won't connect. You'll raise less money.

Instead, be warm, human, personal. With your professionalism under the surface.

Organizations that are unprofessional can't fake it for long. But if you have your act together, you can choose to display your human side.

What does this mean, practically?

• Colloquial language.
  
• Old-fashioned, even slightly messy, design.
  
• Unashamed expressions of emotion.
  
• Choosing simplicity over complexity in communications.
  
• Favoring connection over education in fundraising.
  

Professional fundraisers already know all this. Which is the irony of this whole thing: Choosing a "professional" look and feel over a more personal one is a clear sign of a lack of professionalism!

And down-home, heart-on-the-sleeve emotional fundraising is the work of steely-eyed pros who are bringing home the bacon.

I know you may have bosses, boards, or brand standards that absolutely mandate that you get this wrong. This is something you should patiently work on changing. Because it's how you raise funds. And if that's your job, getting the fundamental tone right is something you can't ignore.

(This post first appeared on December 5, 2018.)

You have just over a week left to join The Fundraisingology Lab. Registration ends on September 23. The Fundraisingology Lab is the top membership for smart fundraisers around the world -- with the best training, best resources, and best community you'll find anywhere. Check out The Fundraisingology Lab here!

The information mistake that your fundraising might be making

Donor psy

It's easy for fundraisers to grow tired of our messaging and to give a lot of energy to finding new things to tell donors -- after all, if I'm getting tired of it, they must be too!

Mistake.

It's far more effective to remind your donors of things they know than to amaze them with new information. Or as the Better Fundraising Blog says, fundraising should be Reminding vs. Informing:

Reminding a donor what she already knows is a surer path to success than giving your donor new information to convince her to make a gift. It lowers the cognitive load for her to process your fundraising message. It emphasizes that your organization “gets” her.

Informing would be: 43% of the children in the community are chronically undernourished.

Reminding would be: You know how important it is for a young child to get the food she needs. Too many here aren't getting that.

Facts and stats are important for you. They help you respond appropriately to the situation.

But for non-experts -- that is, your donors -- facts and stats are friction. Something they have to get past in order to care enough to take action.

The Fundraisingology Lab is open. For now. It's the top membership for smart fundraisers around the world -- with the best training, best resources, and best community you'll find anywhere. Check out The Fundraisingology Lab here!

Everyone who donates to us cares about our organization.

Sounds reasonable.

But it's not true.

Some of your donors give for reasons that have little to do with your organization or even your cause, and those donors are highly unlikely to give again.

It's important to understand those "not us" donors, because they don't behave the way your cause-connected donors behave. Here's a useful post from the DonorPerfect Blog that will help you differentiate those donors: 5 reasons why a donor doesn't give after their first donation:

1. They gave to a friend’s crowdfunding campaign. They were responding to their friend, not your cause.
   
2. They gave to your nonprofit on Giving Tuesday. They were swept along with a fun group activity.
   
3. A story on the news or social media motivated them to find a cause like yours. This is common when there's a disaster. Many people make donations they consider one-time. They haven't joined your your family of donors.
   
4. They tagged along with a friend to your fundraising event. It was a social event. Not a decision to connect themselves to your cause.
   
5. They benefited from giving to you. They were "buying" something, not really supporting your cause.
   

Another similar reason some donors never give again: They gave a memorial donation.

Some organizations have large numbers of these kinds of donors. That isn't a bad thing -- revenue is revenue, after all. But the normal rules of relationship-based fundraising just don't fully apply with them. No matter how great a job you do, these donors are less likely to stay with you.

It's not you. It's them.

Your job with these donors is to know who they are, to understand their retention rates will be low, and not to over-spend on trying to convert them into regular donors.

It's possible you are putting too many resources into getting these one-and-done donors, at the expense of getting the sustainable revenue that comes from cause-oriented donors.

One of the unexpected results of the COVID pandemic has been the Great Resignation.

Millions of people are taking a good look at what they want to do, and deciding to quit their jobs.

And it's working. Most of them are finding new and better work -- whether it's with a different company, in a different industry, or by launching out on their own.

This is good in two ways:

1. These people (most of them, anyway) now have better jobs and better lives.
   
2. It's generally forcing employers to get their act together and offer better jobs with better pay. They're learning that if you can't treat your people right, you can't do business!
   

Maybe you've thought about it too.

After all, many nonprofit jobs are no picnic. Too many of us struggle with soul-crushing things like:

• Bosses who won't let you do your job.
  
• Ignorant and/or micro-managing board.
  
• Insufficient resources.
  
• Unhealthy work culture.
  
• Lousy pay.
  
• Unrealistic workload.
  

If you're living with these things, you're not doing anyone a favor by staying around. You're acting as a co-dependent, making bad behavior work.

If that's the case for you, it's time to rethink your job.

Let me make one request of you:

If you are good at fundraising and you have a passion for it, don't leave the profession! At least not yet.

There are many great nonprofit employers, and some of them urgently need you!

Look for them. You can help them grow while you grow too. In a healthier atmosphere.

Don't let bad experiences sour you to the whole idea of working at a nonprofit.

For-profit jobs can be lousy too. And they lack the soul-sustaining element that brought you to nonprofits in the first place. Sure, increasing the market-share of some brand of toothpaste could be a thrilling endeavor. But really?

I hope the Great Resignation pushes more nonprofits to get their act together and become worthy of quality people like you. But they need a push, and you may be that push!

Go for it!

There's a lot of advice out there about succeeding in the current weird reality.

Some of the advice is not so good. Like “Donors have COVID fatigue. Don’t bother them for a few months.” (That one will really hurt if you follow it.)

But it’s hard to tell the good sources from the not-so-good. And that might be the difference between your organization sinking ... or soaring.

One of the best solutions is to be part of a community of other fundraisers facing the same things and willing to walk with you through it all.

Because we are better together than alone.

And here's a really great way to become part of the best, coolest, most fun, most supportive, most active group of fundraising superheroes around the world: Join The Fundraisingology Lab.

It's the Moceanic membership group for fundraisers like you who are standing together while we change the world.

Even when times are strange and puzzling.

Enrollment in The Fundraisingology Lab is open NOW.

But only for a while. Then it closes again.

And it will stay closed for many months. With you on the outside, not moving forward as you want to, maybe facing unexpected challenges alone.

Don't let that happen. Click here for details.

Here's what members get:

• Regular Live Q&A Video Calls with Fundraisingologists and special guests.
  
• A Members-Only Weekly Email with Expert Tips, Announcements and Connections.
  
• Checklists, Cheat-sheets, Spreadsheets, Workbooks, and more on all kinds of fundraising topics ... including a new checklist for keeping your fundraising strong while we live with the virus.
  

Plus, some of the most practical, hands-on, comprehensive training in the industry, including these multi-part courses fully equip you to create effective fundraising projects. They’re packed with bonus cheat-sheets, examples, and videos. The courses include optional homework assignments that walk you through specific projects you need to do -- and qualify for CFRE Continuing Education Credit. Read about them here.

People join for the content. But they stay -- and rave about -- the community, which takes place in The Fundraisingology Lab members-only Facebook group. You should see the supportive, fun, creative stuff that's going on there. After you join, you'll wonder how you managed without it!

The doors to The Fundraisingology Lab slam shut in two weeks. They won't open again for a long time. You'll have no choice but to join the waiting list.

And wait.

So click here now. Check it out. See if it's right for you.

Fundraising, when done well, is a relationship.

It's not much of a relationship when the only time you talk to donors is when you ask them for money ... and the only time you hear from donors is when they send you money.

That may be efficient, but it's incomplete. And it is one of the main causes of low donor retention.

One way you turn that unsatisfying transactional exchange into more of a relationship is to do a great job of thanking donors and reporting back on the impact of their giving.

The other way is to solicit feedback from donors.

And that's a big deal. So big, The Agitator calls donor feedback Fundraising’s Silver Bullet.

When you ask for something other than money -- you show donors that you consider them to be human. And that matters.

So ask for feedback. You'll learn things you can use, like their passion and their connection with your cause.

But here's the interesting part: Just asking for feedback, even when they don't respond, builds relationships.

As The Agitator puts it...

... the mere act of seeking a donor’s input is not only a fundamental element of the two-way communications that are essential to lasting human relationships, the mere act of seeking feedback will boost returns.

I can vouch for this, having tested it. We included a simple two-question survey in an appeal for half of the donors. The other half got the typical appeal with no survey.

The response rate from both groups was about the same. And only about half of those who got surveys responded to them. It looked like the additional the survey was a failure, or at least a non-success, but we kept our eyes on the two groups for the following twelve months.

Those who got the survey performed measurably better to subsequent campaigns. The percentage of them who responded to the survey was quite small, but the group as a whole became more responsive. In the end, their retention rate was a couple of percentage points higher.

That's a big deal. And not at all unusual.

So ask your donors questions.

Most won't answer.

But asking them makes a difference.

It's a step toward a real relationship.

Fundraising is all about action. That's why the most important thing you write in any fundraising piece is the call to action -- CTA.

Here are some ways to create a strong CTA from the Stelter Blog at 8 tips for writing calls to action that readers won’t overlook:

1. Keep it to one important thing. Focus on one thing you hope the donor will do.
   
2. Aim for short. Make it quick and easy to understand. Not the overall message -- longer is usually better. But keep the call to action succinct.
   
3. Use action words. Verbs like save, rescue, preserve.
   
4. Make it urgent. Make it clear that now is the time.
   
5. Personalize. Talk to the donor about her role. Use the donor's name as possible and personal pronouns.
   
6. Shorten contact information. Don't make readers wade through all possible ways of reaching you. Just give the main ways.
   
7. Add color. If you want more people to notice something, use a contrasting color.
   
8. Build in white space. Clear space makes it easier to read what you most hope they'll read.
   

Last day to register

Set yourself up for success at the end of 2021 by attending a FREE online workshop called The Fundraiser’s Blueprint to Double Year-End Donations Without Spending More Money.

It’s the plan you need to get all your year-end fundraising moving together in the right direction in the critical last few weeks of the year. Coming on September 8 and 9. Space is limited, so check it out now.

Here are the 5 most-read Future Fundraising Now blog posts from the past month:

1. The word that aims your fundraising message at your target
   
2. "Shake well" fundraising: Your path to results
   
3. Does your fundraising include the critical element of kryptonite?
   
4. The world's ugliest color: good or bad for fundraising?
   
5. Does something look wrong about your 2021 fundraising results?
   

Set yourself up for success at the end of 2021 by attending a FREE online workshop called The Fundraiser’s Blueprint to Double Year-End Donations Without Spending More Money.

It’s the plan you need to get all your year-end fundraising moving together in the right direction in the critical last few weeks of the year. Coming on September 8 and 9. Space is limited, so check it out now.

It's still August. A month of leisure for people.

But Year-End is coming.

In fact, it's pretty much already here!

It's those last few months of the year when many nonprofits bring in more than a third of their revenue.

Are you on top of it?

Or do you feel behind, overwhelmed, and unprepared?

Welcome to the club.

Year End 2021 can be different for you.

Easier, more successful, less stress. Even fun!

But here’s the thing: When you know where you’re going, the journey is a lot more manageable. Even enjoyable!

You can get there by attending a FREE online workshop called The Fundraiser’s Blueprint to Double Year-End Donations Without Spending More Money.

It’s the blueprint you need to get all your year-end fundraising moving together in the right direction: The direction of success!

It's taught by my friend Sean Triner of Moceanic, and here's what it will do for you:

• Reveal the 3 proven strategies used to generate millions in revenue for nonprofits all around the world.
  
• Show you which donors and activities to focus on to transform your fundraising and maximize your results.
  
• Share shockingly easy big picture that will align all your hard work to make the 2021 year-end season your best ever!
  

In one 90-minute workshop.

This is not one of those "you need to pay me a whole lot to accomplish all the stuff I'm promising" webinars. This is the real thing: Your plan -- your blueprint -- that you can put in place for a better year end this year ...

Your blueprint for finding out which donors and activities to invest in. Your blueprint to show you how to finish strong in 2021 ... and for the rest of your beautiful and exciting career as a master fundraiser!

You’ll walk away with a new sense of confidence.

It’s coming right up, next week in two time slots on Wednesday, September 8 and Thursday, September 9. All you need to do is check it out and then register before all the online seats are taken.

There's really no reason not to take a look. The workshop is free. Putting the blueprint to work is not one bit more work than what you're already doing. (In fact, it's probably less work!)

Go take a look: The Fundraiser’s Blueprint to Double Year-End Donations Without Spending More Money.

Make this investment in your 2021 Year End ... and in your own career.

I hope to see you there!

Some day you may be able to project your slogan onto the face of the moon, visible to the entire population of the Earth.

Are you ready for lunar projection fundraising?

Before you get too excited, there's something shinier than that!

And you can get on board right now:

It's monthly (sustainer) giving.

Okay, it's not new. But it outshines just about anything out there. Look what monthly giving can do for you: It can powerfully boost revenue per donor while at the same time dramatically improving donor retention.

Any organization can do it -- no deep pockets or high risk.

As A Direct Solution put it at Sustainer Giving Is Not the Latest Shiny New Thing:

As a fundraiser, you’re busy. There is only so much time in the day. Where would you rather focus your next hour of time? I hope your answer is: Growing your monthly donors because it is proven, and it will pay off in the long run.

It's the next big thing! And the most recent big thing!

Set yourself up for success at the end of 2021 by attending a FREE online workshop called The Fundraiser’s Blueprint to Double Year-End Donations Without Spending More Money.

It’s the plan you need to get all your year-end fundraising moving together in the right direction in the critical last few weeks of the year. Coming on September 8 and 9. Space is limited, so check it out now.

Do you sometimes get stuck while writing your fundraising materials?

If you said no, you're fooling yourself.

Everyone gets stuck.

There's no magic formula for getting unstuck, but there's something darn close to magic:

Get up and walk.

Check out this post at the Publication Coach Blog: Why you should walk more if you’re a writer.

There are a ton of reason walking is good for writing. Here's just a bit of it:

When we sit, our brains become leaden. But when we walk, our hearts pump faster and our brains and other organs get more blood and oxygen. Scientists have shown this helps our memories work better and improves our attention.

The gentle exercise of walking also leads to new connections between brain cells, holding at bay the usual decline of brain tissue that comes with age.

It's even better than I knew.

It works for me. It can work for you. The busy season is upon us. Take advantage of the power of walking!

You probably wouldn't enjoy the task somebody at Delta Air Lines got a few weeks ago: Write a message to your long-suffering customers about why things are so messed up right now.

Feels like a lose-lose situation.

This article in Inc.com shows how some brilliant copywriter made it a win-win: Delta Air Lines Just Sent a Brilliant Email to Millions of Passengers. This 1 Word Mattered Most.

That word?

You.

The 740-word message included the word 44 times. That's 6% of the total word-count.

What's good about that? The article proposes two things:

1. It keeps the message on track, focused on the customer's perspective.
   
2. It offers a subtle, rhetorical reassurance to even the casual reader who only skims the message. This isn't about us. It's about you.
   

This is something you can do in your fundraising too.

I don't want to give you the idea that you is some kind of magic talisman that makes your fundraising work. In fact, the CopyOptimizer (the forthcoming online tool from DonorVoice that analyzes fundraising copy and compares it to proven winning copy) assigns no positive value to "you."

I think you is more of an "indicator species." If there's a lot of it, we're probably looking at quality fundraising; if there's not much, something is likely wrong with it.

Because fundraising that works is fundraising that enters the world of the donor, making it about what they can do to make the world a better place. It's about the donor's experience, values, and the impact they can have.

Not a recitation of the excellent qualities of the nonprofit seeking their donations.

It's possible to clearly aim your message at the donor without 6%+ you, but that's difficult. Why make things hard on yourself?

Here's a great post from Seth Godin -- in its entirety:

Peeves make lousy pets.

They're difficult to care for, they eat a lot, and they don't clean up after themselves.

(Pet peeves.)

Pet peeves may be one of the most powerful killers of fundraising effectiveness out there. Here's why:

Peeve-driven decisions about fundraising are most likely wrong -- bad for fundraising.

Because your peeve tells you nothing about what actually works or doesn't work in the real world. Actually, it's more than that: There's a good chance your peeve is an indicator of something that does work in the real world.

There are certain fonts that just bug me. They're ugly and annoying. Complete pet peeves in my world. Yet at least one of the fonts on my hate list consistently does well in fundraising. I have to hold my nose and use that font -- if I want to raise more money. Which I do, since it's the entire premise of my work. My peeve is not important.

We all have certain words, phrases, colors, and things that we hate. We need to learn not to use that personal distaste drive decisions.

Your decisions should be driven by facts about donor behavior:

• Direct facts that you know empirically because you've observed them first-hand.
  
• Facts you've learned from other experienced fundraisers.
  
• Facts you've extrapolated from other donor behavior (such as, We get poor results when we ask donors to pay our electricity bill; it's likely we'll also do poorly if we ask them to cover our water bill.
  

"I hate that" is not a fact. The closest it comes to being factual is the strong correlation between things we hate and things that improve fundraising!

Professional fundraisers learn to ignore their own pet peeves. Strive for that Zen-like detachment from your own desires. It's a path to success!

(This post first appeared on November 10, 2016.)

Way back when, a nonprofit I worked with learned an important fact: The lower a donor's first gift, the less long-term value that donor has to the organization.

That may sound like something you say "duh" about. But it's actually a very useful and dependable truth. A donor's first gift to a given organization is a predictor of their future value. A first-time donor who gives you $10 will be less valuable than one who gives $50:

• Total lifetime value will be about one-fifth as much.
  
• Retention of the lower donors will be lower -- they'll lapse sooner.
  
• Chance of upgrading (to a significantly higher level of giving) will be about half as much.
  

It's just a simple fact of life: Donors tend to stay true to their behavior.

A prudent approach is to seek higher first-tine gifts. You can do this with a combination of higher value channels, higher value lists, higher ask amounts, and higher-value fundraising offers.

My client, though, took the idea a step further. They began to see low-end donors basically as a curse. People to be avoided because their long-term value wasn't as high as they wanted.

They said: We will no longer seek donors who give under $20. From this day forward, we'll allow no riff-raff onto our donor file. (That's not exactly how they put it, but you get the picture.)

Here's what they did:

• For direct mail, they stopped renting lists that returned average gifts below $20.
  
• They raised the amount they were asking for.
  
• They stopped cultivating their under-$20 donors.
  

And guess what: It worked. Average gift skyrocketed. Lower-end donors started lapsing off the file at high rates. Retention and upgrade rates climbed. Campaign performance was better than ever.

But that's not all that happened. At the same time, overall revenue went into a steep decline. This decline had two sources:

• A dramatically lower volume of donors.
  
• A shrinking pool of major donors and bequests.
  

When they decided under-$20 donors were persona non grata, they narrowed the gate through which donors could enter their file. So a lot fewer donors came through. Those who made it were more valuable, but the drop in volume offset that increase in value.

The pool of potential upgraders became too small: The percentage of upgrades was excellent, but it was a percentage of a much smaller number -- leading to an overall drop in major donors.

Low value donors are something else beside low value donors: They are a pool of potential higher value donors. When you shrink that pool, you choke off an important source of high-value donors.

It took over a year for them to become aware of the disaster that was happening under their feet, because they were dazzled by the rising performance numbers they saw. They eventually corrected course, but the overall impact was devastating to their mission.

Shifting from a volume orientation to a value one is something most nonprofits would be wise to do.

Just don't do it with a chainsaw. Take it slowly. Replace lower-value donors with higher-value ones. Then you'll get the improved performance you want -- and the overall revenue you need.