With our world upside down and events all around us being canceled, new opportunities to share and connect are emerging. Earlier this week, nearly 1,000 fundraisers gathered around their own respective viewing devices for the first-ever AFP ICON VIRTUAL Conference—including Danny Herzberg, Stelter Regional Account Representative. I sat down with Danny to hear his biggest takeaways from the conference. Continue reading 3 Themes From the First-Ever AFP ICON VIRTUAL Conference
Take the scare out of planned giving. Here’s how to discuss 5 common donor hesitations and make planned giving a treat to complete. Continue reading Planned Giving Doesn’t Have to Be Scary
Are you getting in your own way of a gift opportunity? Here are 4 tips to consider when you’re prepping your next fundraising appeal. Continue reading Donor-Centered Appeals (Or, How to Get Out of Your Own Way)
A friend of mine, a retired hospice-facility fundraiser, recently made a sizable gift to a local women’s shelter. But she never received an acknowledgment or thank you. She was even told, “No thanks, we’ve got it covered,” when she volunteered to write their thank you notes. Needless to say, she’s hesitant to go any furtherContinue reading How to Cultivate Donor Loyalty: 5 Marketing Tips
Earlier this year, I shared the primary three stages of the donor journey. Today, I’m back with the final two stages. As you may recall, the donor’s journey starts off similarly to the buyer’s journey—but can conclude with two additional destinations: donation and believer. Your nonprofit’s ultimate goal is to help your donors reach theContinue reading What Kind of Donor Journey Are You Delivering?
In her continuing series, we welcome special guest, Stelter Editorial Director, Katie Parker. Marketing is piquing interest, evoking emotion, triggering response. It’s about making something that you do relevant to them (better yet, it’s listening to their needs and answering them with your product). At the core of marketing your service is compelling copy. Here areContinue reading The 5 Questions You MUST Answer in Your Copy
The simple answer is yes. If you haven’t heard already, the donor pyramid that many of us have come to know, has changed—and perhaps is even dead. (R.I.P.) Now, if that’s the case, what kind of journey are donors experiencing today? And, more importantly, how do we engage them? First, let’s cover why the donorContinue reading Is the Donor Pyramid a Thing of the Past?
With every marketing piece that we encounter—an email on our phone, an envelope in our mailbox, a post on our Facebook wall—we ask, Is this worth my time? The fact that you’re reading these words implies that you likely did all the following: Opened an email or stumbled upon a social media post from TheContinue reading How to Make Them Care: Inspire Donors Through Storytelling
Today we welcome a special guest author to the blog: Cathy R. Sheffield, CAP®, CFRE, CSPG, FCEP, ThinkGiving President and Thompson & Associates Vice President. Cathy is here to share 10 things that you can do right now to start creating your legacy. Cathy is a fundraising executive with 25-years experience, specializing in major gifts and giftContinue reading How to Plant the Seed to Create a Legacy
“A rising tide lifts all boats.” -John F. Kennedy Historically, this phrase was used referring to the economy. Today, I can’t help but apply it to our fundraising world, in that a good outcome—and good information—benefits us all. (This logic is a large part of why we’ve provided our research and webinars free of chargeContinue reading 10 Fundraising Blogs (And a Few Podcasts) You’ll Love
Today we welcome back a special guest on the blog: Stelter Senior Technical Consultant, Lynn Gaumer, J.D. Lynn returns to share her insights on the importance of having a plan for your planned giving marketing program—and not just leaving it to luck. “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.” It’s a common phrase used dailyContinue reading [FREE DOWNLOAD] Don’t Leave Your Planned Giving Program to Luck
In her continuing series, we welcome special guest, Stelter Editorial Director, Katie Parker. The classic call to action is “Buy Now!”. This slick phrase hits all the high notes: It’s urgent, clear, actionable and succinct. Every day your donors are bombarded by interruptive marketing and plenty of attempts to call their attention to a brand’s desiredContinue reading Avoid These! 10 Mistakes in Calls to Action
You’ve got a planned giving program in place. Check. You’ve amped up your marketing and generated a healthy pipeline of planned gift prospects. Check. Check. But, you soon realize, you’ve also got a board that thinks planned giving is too hard to understand or simply not an organizational priority. They check out whenever the subjectContinue reading If Your Board Is Bored with Planned Giving Try These 5 Reality Checks
We all have a tendency to gravitate toward the latest shiny new thing. Today’s technologies ring a shiny bell? While it’s true that technology has enabled us to target communications with donors and prospects in ways we never thought possible, even a few short years ago, they can overwhelm. Then we throw out the shinyContinue reading How to Meet Your Donors & Prospects Where They Are
New year, new trends. Early on last year, we called out some 2018 planned giving marketing trends. And we’re back to do it again. So, what’s in store for planned giving in 2019? 1. The Donor Journey The idea of a journey is not new, but returning your focus to this simple methodology could be aContinue reading Planned Giving Trends to Watch this Year
Is this the year that it’ll happen, when your planned giving program grows into what you always knew it could—and should—be?
Yes, with a little planning, of course… Continue reading What You Need to Have a Successful Planned Giving Program
As each year new year approaches, I like to review the last 12 months: the successes, the learning opportunities and everything in between. Then, I try to determine a theme for that year. When reflecting on 2018, the word “change” comes to mind. Changes in the industry, from tax reforms to charitable gift annuity rates.Continue reading Best of 2018
We’ve all heard the phrase, ”Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!” The meaning behind this old saying: Don’t put all your efforts into one thing because you could lose everything else—and be left with nothing altogether. The same logic applies to fundraising. While we at Stelter spend majority of our time in theContinue reading How to Fill Your Baskets with Funding Support
Last Friday was Black Friday, perhaps you’re familiar with it. It’s a day dedicated to saving money. (As a nonprofit officer you’ve probably made an art of this.) While I stayed out of the stores, it did get me thinking. What are some more ways nonprofits can save? Like where I’m headed? I thought youContinue reading How to Save Your Nonprofit Money with Plannual Giving
Hard to believe we’re two days away from Thanksgiving. Your office chatter, like ours, has probably temporarily turned from planned giving to potlucks. Whether you’re enjoying goodies or tying up plans for Giving Tuesday: Press pause and give thanks to those who support your nonprofit’s works through every season. We’re not talking anything big hereContinue reading [FREE IMAGES] Last-Minute Ways to Thank Your Donors
Today we welcome back a special guest on the blog: Stelter’s Senior Technical Consultant, Lynn Gaumer, J.D. Lynn returns to provide us with steps you can take to collect IRA proceeds. Naming a charity as a beneficiary of an IRA is easy… Collecting the proceeds is harder. Charitable organizations often highlight the ease and flexibilityContinue reading [FREE DOWNLOAD] How to Collect IRA Proceeds
Have you heard? The kindness is catching, and it’s going global. Knowing you, my planned giving friends, you’re already committing random acts of kindness daily. It’s who you are and what you’re inclined to do, especially in the realm of nonprofit work. The good news is that we’re taking it to the streets: World KindnessContinue reading 3 Ways to Thank Your Supporters on World Kindness Day
Let’s face it, planned giving has a spooky side. As fundraisers, you may have your share of nonprofit horror stories. But being prepared, makes things a whole lot less scary. SCARY TRUTHS OF PLANNED GIVING Gift planning isn’t easy, and it can be confusing. Bequests, CGAs, DAFs—these acronyms can overwhelm your donors. That’s why you’reContinue reading Scary Truths About Planned Giving
This year, Giving Tuesday lands on November 27. Is your calendar marked? More importantly, does your nonprofit have a plan in place? If you’re still in the “planning to plan” phase, don’t sweat. It’s never too late to put together a Giving Tuesday strategy. (That being said, it’s never too early to start organizing aContinue reading How You Can Make the Most of Giving Tuesday
Is mailing in December a nonprofit do or don’t? Traditionally, sending direct mail in December has been viewed as less-than-ideal in the nonprofit industry. The logic behind this was simple. Donors most likely just donated their year-end gifts—not to mention the added financial strain of the holidays. The assumption: No one wants to think aboutContinue reading Why You Need to Hit Your Donor’s Mailbox First Thing in 2019
Did you know that most of us receive over 100 emails a day? With a number like that, getting your donors to read your emails seems like a daunting task. So how can your nonprofit cut through the clutter? We gathered some of Stelter’s experts last week to help us answer this question. Our DigitalContinue reading How to Make Your Donors Want to Read Your Emails
We get a lot of questions about using social media to promote planned giving. “How should we be using it?” “What’s the real opportunity?” We know that fundraising is all about doing more with less. To help you reach your social potential with ease, we’ve compiled some social media do’s and don’ts. Don’t: Create aContinue reading Get Social: A Simple Guide to Improve Your Social Media
“It’s not personal. It’s strictly business.” The person who coined this phrase must not have been referring to nonprofit work. As I see it, if we are to continue “doing business” successfully for our nonprofits then we have to make it more personal, especially in how we connect with donors and supporters. Today, it’s notContinue reading Dear Sir/Madam: Your Marketing Needs to Be More Personal
Today we welcome back a special guest to the blog: Stelter’s Senior Technical Consultant Lynn Gaumer, J.D. Lynn returns to share 3 ways you can grow your CGA program. One of the key takeaways from the American Council on Gift Annuities Conference held earlier this year was that rapidly growing planned giving programs shifted fromContinue reading 3 Tips to Grow Your Charitable Gift Annuity Program
I’ve been thinking about two stats all week: Only 22 percent of Americans over the age of 30 say they’ve been asked for a planned gift. (Stelter Donor Insight Report: Donors On the Move) An estimated $59 trillion in wealth, with $6.3 trillion in charitable bequests, will be transferred through 100 million estates from 2007-2061.Continue reading Inexpensive Ways to Promote Your Planned Giving Program
Quick stat: Ninety-one percent of U.S. consumers check their email daily. For nonprofits, this means countless opportunities to connect with “our people” in meaningful ways, through their inbox. Rise above the other 120 emails office folks like you and I receive every day—and reap the rewards—with these 5 tips. 1. Let’s be clear, here. AboveContinue reading How to Make Email Campaigns Work (So They Actually Get Read!)
Recently, we were lucky enough to have Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP® join us for our webinar series. He shared his latest research in our webinar Why Cash Is Not King In Fundraising: Results From 1 Million Nonprofit Tax Returns. He uncovered the secret to fundraising growth—and it’s not cash. 3 Things to Think AboutContinue reading This is the Secret to Fundraising Growth
Today we welcome back a special guest to the blog: Stelter’s Senior Technical Consultant Lynn Gaumer, J.D. Lynn returns to share 6 tips to minimize risk to your charitable gift annuity program. The recent increase in the suggested maximum CGA rates is a win for donors and nonprofits. Annuitants will receive a higher percentage ofContinue reading Minimize Risk to Your CGA Program
As a nonprofit professional, you know that things are changing all the time, from your board to your budget. But what about your planned giving marketing program? Change is hard. Repeating the same marketing program year after year is the easy, safe choice, but it also makes it difficult for your program to grow. AndContinue reading Change the Plan: How to Refresh Your Planned Giving Program
“You never know until you ask,” right? This old saying has never been more relevant than it is today. Just think about it: How many surveys do you receive from your favorite brands? Your nonprofit should be no different. Nearly 30 years ago, Stelter’s first survey hit donors’ mailboxes. A lot has changed with ourContinue reading 3 Dos and Don’ts of Surveying
With each new year comes a fresh start, whether that be for your physical fitness regime or your planned giving efforts: Use it to your advantage. 2017 was a year of learning, growth and—as always—change. Kickstart 2018, and your planned giving program, with these ideas: 1. Targeting vs. “Spraying and Praying”—Use our research to yourContinue reading Planned Giving Marketing Trends of 2018
