Donor Relationships
An organization’s relationship with its donors collectively and individually is the lifeblood of its fundraising efforts. Those relationships deliver vitality to everything an organization does to raise money. Weak donor relationships yield weak fundraising outcomes. But far too many nonprofits have focused far too often on those fundraising outcomes—the money—rather than on the donors of that money.
There is no contributed income without contributors. This is no chicken-or-egg thing. Before there is a gift, there has to be a giver.
Successful fundraising efforts are based on well cultivated relationships with donors. Know your donors and respect them. Understanding what has and will continue to motivate them to prioritize their commitment to your organization and its mission puts you are on the path to a steady flow of contributed income.
A successful development operation is donor centric.
Articles about Donor Relationships
Building Donor Loyalty
These eight articles have been edited into a book format. While best read sequentially, each is a stand alone article.
It’s a Brave New Digital World
But Will This Strengthen Relationship?
As the 20th century drew to a close, we had come to think of fundraising as a mature, well developed discipline. But then came the emerging technologies of the 21st century. These game changers have already given us communication and transactional media that could...
Building Donor Loyalty Chapter 8Sample Donor Survey Questionnaire
This is the eighth of eight chapters on building donor loyalty. The Table of Contents below will take you to additional chapters. Table of Contents Chapter 1: A Goal for Every Organization Chapter 2: A Strategy for Cultivating Relationships with Donors Chapter 3: What...
Building Donor Loyalty Chapter 7Tools for Donor Cultivation
This is the seventh of eight chapters on building donor loyalty. The Table of Contents below will take you to additional chapters. Table of Contents Chapter 1: A Goal for Every Organization Chapter 2: A Strategy for Cultivating Relationships with Donors Chapter 3:...
Building Donor Loyalty Chapter 6Stewards of Other People’s Money
This is the sixth of eight chapters on building donor loyalty. The Table of Contents below will take you to additional chapters. Table of Contents Chapter 1: A Goal for Every Organization Chapter 2: A Strategy for Cultivating Relationships with Donors Chapter 3: What...
Building Donor Loyalty Chapter 5Tactics for Cultivating Relationships
This is the fifth of eight chapters on building donor loyalty. The Table of Contents below will take you to additional chapters. Table of Contents Chapter 1: A Goal for Every Organization Chapter 2: A Strategy for Cultivating Relationships with Donors Chapter 3: What...
Building Donor Loyalty Chapter 4The Importance of Being Donor Centric
This is the fourth of eight chapters on building donor loyalty. The Table of Contents below will take you to additional chapters. Table of Contents Chapter 1: A Goal for Every Organization Chapter 2: A Strategy for Cultivating Relationships with Donors Chapter 3: What...
Building Donor Loyalty Chapter 3 What You Need to Know about Your Donors
This is the third of eight chapters on building donor loyalty. The Table of Contents below will take you to additional chapters. Table of Contents Chapter 1: A Goal for Every Organization Chapter 2: A Strategy for Cultivating Relationships with Donors Chapter 3: What...
Building Donor Loyalty Chapter 1A Goal for Every Organization
This is the first of eight chapters on building donor loyalty. The Table of Contents below will take you to additional chapters. Table of Contents Chapter 1: A Goal for Every Organization Chapter 2: A Strategy for Cultivating Relationships with Donors Chapter 3: What...
Building Donor Loyalty Chapter 2A Strategy for Cultivating Relationships
This is the second of eight chapters on building donor loyalty. The Table of Contents below will take you to additional chapters. Table of Contents Chapter 1: A Goal for Every Organization Chapter 2: A Strategy for Cultivating Relationships with Donors Chapter 3: What...