Strengthen Your Donor Communications and Raise More: Here’s How
February 3, 2025 | Read Time: 2 minutes
To hit annual fundraising goals, it’s crucial to stay in touch with donors all year long, communicate in ways that feel authentic and personal, and demonstrate how giving helps make a lasting difference. Read this collection for advice and creative ideas from experts that can help you create an outreach strategy that will keep supporters close — and increase revenue.
For example, you’ll find tips for building a survey to learn more about your donors, so you can craft messages that reflect their interests and motivations. Soliciting input from supporters should help bring them closer to your cause and boost giving over time. “You have them now as more of a partner in your work as opposed to an episodic donor,” explains John Warner, former chief development and communications officer at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, Calif.
Read on for more guidance on using data to categorize supporters based on shared traits or behavior, how to improve collaboration — and reduce friction — between communications and fundraising teams, ways to personalize outreach to midlevel donors, and more.
Editor’s note: Chronicle tool kits are updated on an ongoing basis as new advice becomes available.
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FundraisingBuild a Smart Outreach Plan to Keep Donors Close — and Meet Revenue Goals
A thoughtful and flexible plan for donor communications is needed more than ever. Here are some creative ideas and key steps to take. -
Advice10 Words and Phrases You Should Never Use
Philanthropy loves big words. Americans don’t. So why is the nonprofit world filled with philanthro-speak? -
Demonstrating ImpactShow How Your Nonprofit Is Making a Difference: 10 Dos and Don’ts
Tips from experts that can help you measure results, share them in meaningful and inspiring ways, and avoid common pitfalls. -
Donor SegmentationTips for Segmenting Donors and Tailoring Your Outreach — to Raise More
Getting this right takes good donor data, a smart strategy, and time. But the most important thing is to try, experts say. -
Donor RelationsTips for Creating a Smart Donor Survey
To build a donor survey that deepens connections and helps keep supporters giving, find out why they care about your work and what they value the most. Here’s expert advice on how to do that. -
Donor DataUnleash the Power of Personalized Donor Communications
Donor segmentation — defining, differentiating, and grouping donors by certain characteristics — is key to long-term gains in fundraising. -
Nonprofit ManagementHow to Ease Tension Between Communications and Development Departments
Three reasons friction occurs between fundraisers and communicators — and five ways to prevent it. -
AdviceHow to Communicate With Midlevel Donors
Personalize messages so they feel valued, stay engaged, and give more.
