Keep Your Donors

Written by fundraising experts Tom Ahern and Simone Joyaux, Keep Your Donors is a new, winning guide to making disappointing donor retention rates a thing of the past. This practical and provocative book will show you how to master the strategies and tactics that make fundraising communications profitable. Filled with case studies and based in part on the CFRE and AFP job analyses, Keep Your Donors is your definitive guide to getting new donors--and keeping them--for many years to come.

Autorentext

Tom Ahern is recognized as one of North America's leading authorities on how to make nonprofit communications consistently effective. He speaks frequently in the United States and Canada on reader psychology, direct mail principles, good (and not very good) graphic design as applied to fundraising and nonprofit branding. He is president of Ahern Communications, Ink, a consultancy specializing in capital campaign materials and other nonprofit communications. Tom's popular e-news provides tips on donor communications. He wrote the first book on donor newsletters, published in 2005, as well as How to Write Fundraising Materials That Raise More Money.

Simone P. Joyaux, ACFRE, is recognized internationally as a "thought leader" in the philanthropic sector. An expert in fund development, board and organizational development, and strategic planning, Simone is the author of Strategic Fund Development: Building Profitable Relationships That Last. This book has become an industry standard. Simone presents all over the world and is a faculty member in the Master's Program in Philanthropy and Development at Saint Mary's University, Minnesota. She serves regularly on boards, is the founder of the Women's Fund of Rhode Island, and is the former Chair of CFRE International.

Klappentext

Praise for

Keep Your Donors

The Guide to Better Communications and Stronger Relationships

"No other book on the market addresses the primary role of fundraisers—building relationships. The duo of expertise from Tom Ahern and Simone Joyaux make this the book to own. An instant classic."
— Susan F. Rice, ACFRE, former chair, CFRE International

"At LAST! Ahern and Joyaux have produced a much-needed volume that combines concrete theory with the realities of fundraising to create a practical guide to fundraising communications. This will be an essential addition to every fundraiser's library and an important resource for CFRE exam candidates."
— Morgean Hirt, Executive Director, CFRE International

"A great book...a great read...value beyond words. Ahern and Joyaux have married ideas, insights, stories, and real-life examples to remind us all...it is all about the donor."
— J. A. (Tony) Myers, Advisor to the President (Strategic Initiatives) University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

"Brilliant! A wonderful combination of big picture inspiration and practical know-how. A must-read for anyone in the nonprofit sector who cares about receiving contributions from donors."
— Alexcia WhiteCrow, CFRE, Development Services ManagerPlanned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota

"These pages are filled with everything you need to know about relationship fundraising—written in an easy conversational style that will have you fully engaged as a reader. The placement of sound, practical advice within the context of the deeper meaning of nonprofits and philanthropy creates an extraordinarily satisfying experience for the reader."
— Carol Golden, Executive Vice President & Chief Philanthropy OfficerThe Rhode Island Foundation

"Tom and Simone have made an invaluable contribution to the art and science of relationship building that is the hallmark of successful philanthropy. This timely, practical, and thought-provoking book should be shared with institutional leaders, volunteer boards, and development professionals who are committed to challenging themselves daily to be donor-centered. The writing style is engaging, opinions are supported by research and, in their usual style, the authors have liberally shared best practices that can be readily adapted to all sectors and program size. Read this book with a pen and pad in hand and learn how to master the art of telling donor stories."
— Pearl F. Veenema, FAHP, President & CEO, Hamilton Health Sciences FoundationImmediate past chair, Association for Healthcare Philanthropy

"A broadly nuanced view of written and personal fund development communications and their purpose—creating and sustaining relationships—that embraces philosophy, strategy, and practical tips. The counterpoint of their style intrigues, and their prose is lively and surprising: interspersing anecdotes with intermezzos with powerful challenges to the way we approach our work and our relationships. Bravo!"
— Kay Sprinkel Grace, Principal, Transforming Philanthropy, LLC

Zusammenfassung
Written by fundraising experts Tom Ahern and Simone Joyaux, Keep Your Donors is a new, winning guide to making disappointing donor retention rates a thing of the past. This practical and provocative book will show you how to master the strategies and tactics that make fundraising communications profitable. Filled with case studies and based in part on the CFRE and AFP job analyses, Keep Your Donors is your definitive guide to getting new donorsand keeping themfor many years to come.

Inhalt

Preface xxiii

Acknowledgments xxv

Chapter 1 Beginning at the Beginning: The Context for Everything Else 1

Why the Larger Context Matters 1

Philosophical Framework 2

This I Believe 3

Building Community 3

Building Community Redux 7

Effective Organizations 8

Key Components of Effective Organizations 8

Effective Fund Development 9

In Conclusion 10

INTERMEZZO #1 Why? 11

Chapter 2 The Red Pants Factor: A Story about the Power of Questioning 13

Finding Your Own ''Red Pants Factor'' 15

A Postscript from Black Dress 15

INTERMEZZO #2 What Do All the Words Mean? 17

Chapter 3 Key Components of Effective Organizations: Part of the Larger Context for This Work 19

Adopt an Organizational Development Approach 19

Limitations of Technical Fundraising 20

Turning You into an Organizational Development Specialist 21

What the Organizational Development Specialist Needs to Know 22

Build a Culture of Philanthropy 23

Concept of Corporate Culture 23

Culture of Philanthropy 24

Meaningful Questions 25

Personal and Organizational Commitment to Conversation and Questioning, Learning and Change 27

Learning Organization Theory 27

Systems Thinking, the Cornerstone of Learning Organizations 28

Conversation at Work 29

This Is Hard Work 33

Value of ResearchYour Own and That of Others 33

Collecting Data from Your Organization 35

Translating Data into Useful Information 35

Qualified Opinions Only, Please! 36

A Curious Conundrum 36

Corollary of the Curious Conundrum 37

In Conclusion 38

Chapter 4 What Relationships Are and Why We Have Them: The Art of Human Interaction 41

Relationships Are Everything 41

A Radical Notion 43

Relationships Require Choice 43

Types of Relationships in the Nonprofit/NGO Sector 44

Your Philanthropic Relationships: How Your Organization Relates to Its Donors of Time and Money 44

Relationships with Other Organizations: How Your Organization Relates to Other Community Organizations 44

Relationships within Your Organization: How the Various Parts of Your Organization Relate 45

Advocacy and Public Policy Relationships: How Your Organization Promotes Public Policy that Fosters Healthy Communities 45

Relationships Are Definitely Not Transactions 46

Do Donors Really Want Relationships? 47

Watch a Good Relationship Builder 48

Key Concepts in Relationship Building 48

Sincerity 49

Closeness and Boundaries 50

Dive…