Testing for fundraising campaigns: How to get results you can rely on
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned in my 10+ years working in the charitable sector, it is: You are not your donor. It can be a hard truth, I know! But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what I like, what you like, or what your CEO likes; it matters what […]
How To Build A Fundraising Story Bank In 7 Easy Steps
Even though this blog about how to build a fundraising story bank is coming up on five years old, it’s still as relevant as ever. I believe that stories are the most persuasive tool in our box when we tell them right. It’s also been our experience at Good Works that our clients who can generate […]
The 5-Word Legacy: what are YOUR five words?
In a bit of insight often attributed to both Hemingway and Banksy (but probably originating from neither artist), there’s an idea that we die three times – not once. The first death occurs when you take your last breath. The second death happens when your funeral or celebration of life takes place. The third – […]
Why Do Benchmarks Matter to YOU?
Soon my fellow Good Workers and I will be releasing this year’s Canadian Direct Mail Benchmarks Report. As I was looking a draft of the report, two questions came to mind: Why are benchmarks important in the first place? Do fundraisers like you and me use benchmarks as much as we could (and should)? Today, […]
New Year Resolutions for Fundraisers in 2022
Ok, I realize I’m a little late to the game in sharing resolutions for 2022, but one of MY resolutions was to be a bit more “chill” this year (as my husband would put it). So instead of stressing about my resolution-sharing-tardiness, I’m going to dedicate this post to the fundraisers who are still recovering […]
Should you use Facebook’s dynamic creative for your next fundraising campaign?
It’s officially November, which means fundraisers everywhere are gorging on discount Halloween candy and feverishly finalizing their year-end campaigns. And with multi-channel integration being the name of the game these days, charities of every shape and size are learning how to use social media to connect and communicate with their donors. Thus, while Facebook’s dynamic […]
A 7-point guide to kick-starting your mid-level program!
If like me you’ve been a fundraiser for a while, you’ve heard mid-level donor and mid-level giving program come up a few times in the last few years. But there is so much information out there, how do you make sense of it all? Fear not! My hard-won, 7-step guide to kick-starting your mid-level program […]
Storytelling in Fundraising: A Guide for Skeptics
It may surprise you, but there are professionals in the charitable sector who think using a storytelling approach in fundraising is a bunch of gobbledygook. Are you clutching your pearls? That was my reaction, too. A few years back someone from an unnamed charity told me that they don’t use stories because they didn’t want […]
A Quick Refresher on Loving Your Donors
You are likely far from embracing the fall and you’re hopefully still in denial that winter soon follows. But as a fundraiser, I know that you’re already well down the path of planning your fall and dare I say it, holiday giving campaigns. We work on the same schedule as Costco, always a couple of […]
Find the time to say thank you: 5 tips to completing new donor thank you calls
It’s no secret that new donors are worth their weight in gold – sometimes literally (Yes, acquisition campaigns are expensive!). Acquiring a new donor and getting them to that all-important second gift is pivotal to the success of any annual giving program, but how do you continue to engage this new donor– especially when their […]