You and your Advancement colleagues are likely good at thanking donors. Experience suggests you send thank you letters within 24-48 hours of receiving gifts, make targeted personal phone calls to offer thanks, send handwritten notes, recognize donors in annual reports, and maybe even gather annually to thank donors in person. But experience also shows you…
What comes to mind when you think of the word stewardship? Thanking? Recognizing? Expressing gratitude? Making wise use of resources? Perhaps you think of all of these things or something entirely different. First-Level Stewardship: Expressing Gratitude The first level of stewardship involves making sure our donors receive a timely thank you and ensuring they know we…
What is the one thing you can give today that takes less than five minutes, builds constituent loyalty, increases donor retention, and improves the physical and psychological health in you and others? Gratitude. Is this on your to-do list today? It should be. Because here’s the thing about gratitude: When we give it, it grows relationships (this…
We’ve learned that Advancement work during a pandemic is different. It requires increasingly empathic approaches and more targeted messaging. It calls for greater creativity. And it certainly requires persistence. Something else that’s different about Advancement work right now: found time. That is, there is more of it. Certain constituents aren’t interested in meeting with you…
Pausing to review where you are and spotlighting adjustments needed during the second half of the year is vital. Even more, gathering your team for a midyear review has benefits far greater than just readjusting your plan.
Messaging to your constituents via social media is an important component of a comprehensive Advancement operation. But it can quickly become a time-suck if you’re not using the right tools.
Recognizing many people working in Advancement understand that promoting their organizations and engaging their constituents on social media is time well spent, the biggest hurdle you may face may be the same one other’s are facing — convincing the boss you should be spending more time doing this kind of work.
Imagine for a moment you’re a brand-new VP for Advancement. You arrive on the heels of the most successful campaign in the university’s history with the institution looking forward to a new campaign launch in a few years as part of the university’s 150th anniversary celebration.