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How effective is your welcome program?

Welcome phrase in different languages. Word clouds concept.Many charities have a welcome program in place to keep more donors in, to make them feel welcome or to ask for more money. Whatever the reason you have your welcome flow, there is always room for improvement. So, here’s a simple 10 point checklist that will help you estimate how much room for improvement there actually is. (more…)

Crisis? There is no crisis!

Earlier this year we interviewed 10 senior fundraisers in the Dutch Market to ask them if the economic turmoil changed their opinion about the fundraising potential in their market. And, if any, where they saw fundraising opportunities.

In the majority of interviews, the current economic situation was debunked as an excuse for non-performance. Even if the market is getting a bit rough, there is plenty of opportunity for growth, was their main message.

The question is: Where is the money? And how to get it? (more…)

How much can I expect from my fundraising event?

That is the question I get asked a lot working with clients on their strategic fundraising plan. And a good question it is.  Especially because fundraising events and in particular sports events have become so popular in Europe. So this question deserves some kind of answer.

So, If you are considering to set up your own fundraising event or if you are wondering if you are making enough money from your own event, please bare with me in my search for an answer.

To be frank, it is extremely hard to predict exactly how much will be raised with your event this year or the next, but there are crucial factors that influence your success. Depending on how many ‘karma-points’ you score on each of these factors will give you some feeling of the potential success. (see a calculation below)

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10 more things you can learn from Obama

For many years I have been a big fan of e-mail. It is convenient, it’s fast, it’s cheap and, if used well, can raise funds for your charity. And, what you probably didn’t know it can also create involvement with your target audience, as I will show you in this blog.

But in my time as a marketer, for some undefined reason, I always had to fight on behalf of e-mail with programs people (it is too shallow to tell what we have to say), communications people (TV is better) and sometimes even the board (my wife doesn’t like it if you send her e-mails). What’s worse, I see many fundraisers still not using it as well as they could (or not at all!). (more…)

Love is in the air: corporate fundraising

Bij veel goede doelen is het besef gekomen dat bedrijven een cruciale rol spelen bij het creëren van een betere wereld. Maar voor veel goede doelen is het bedrijfsleven een grote, wat bedreigende onbekende. Een beetje zoals Monty Python’s Merchant Banker.

Het goede nieuws is dat het bedrijfsleven meer en meer open staat voor samenwerking met goede doelen. Dit bleek uit de instemmende reacties naar aanleiding van mijn presentatie onlangs tijdens een bijeenkomst van het TopMarketeersNetwork.

De vraag tijdens de bijeenkomst was: hoe moeten bedrijven en goede doelen met elkaar omgaan om echt impact te hebben? En de vraag die goede doelen zichzelf hierbij mogen en stellen: hoe kunnen we onze missie dichterbij brengen en tegelijk onze (financiële) doelen bereiken door samen te werken met het bedrijfsleven? (more…)