I sent the same appeal to 10,000 donors.
One version raised $67,000.
The other raised $142,000.
The only difference? Where I put the word "you." Donor-centered writing isn't just nice—it's profitable:
• "You" in the first sentence increases response by 23%
• Stories about donors (not beneficiaries) raise more money
• Questions outperform statements in both open and response rates
One organization rewrote their case statement from "we need" to "you can" language and saw major gift closes increase by 41%.
The most powerful word in fundraising isn't "give"—it's "you."
What small language shift has made the biggest difference in your fundraising?
A ‘major’ donor said to me once “The only reason I give honestly is because of you."
While it might sound like the ultimate compliment, it’s actually a red flag. Here’s why:
Donors should be engaged through a hearts-and-minds approach, but not just a single person. Of course, part of my job is building trust and personal connections—but if I’m the only contact for that donor, we’ve got a problem. Sustainable funding is the goal…not just immediate dollars in the door driven by one person.
If the donor doesn’t trust at least two other people at the organization, I haven’t set them up to truly invest in the work itself. My charm might open the door, but their belief in the mission is what weaves them into the ecosystem. They shouldn’t just be riding for me—they should be riding for the impact, the purpose, the vision.
So yeah, it’s a cute moment for my ego, but it also means I needed to organize my team and do a little more. Program staff touchpoints beyond the development folks are crucial. Donor relationships that depend solely on me don’t ensure longevity—and this work demands sustainability.
Make sure folks are riding for your work, not just you.
#SustainableFunding#BuildingTrust#AskSadé#SadeKnows
Campaigns get so much attention in fundraising, rightfully so. However, many of us fail to understand that rather than a curtain call, campaigns should end with a critical handoff that provides our organizations with an incredible opportunity for follow-up that inspires donors and their giving for years beyond the campaign.
As soon as a campaign is complete, the window to thank donors in meaningful ways, share the first signs of impact, and ensure the new connections sparked during the campaign carry forward into the next chapter, begins to close.
Across our Innovation Partners, it’s incredible how many organizations seize this exact moment with a natural handoff to a Virtual Engagement Officer.
We’ve all seen participation suffer during campaigns as we focus on larger dollar giving. That’s exactly why so many Innovation Partners are bringing in Virtual Engagement Officers (VEOs) to recapture lapsed donors.
Other Innovation Partners saw major momentum from their campaigns and an influx of donors. These partners are developing new portfolios for their VEOs to focus on retention, sharing impact, and building relationships in ways that lead to the natural outcome of giving.
For example, Baylor University's unexpected surge in millennial giving during its recent campaign inspired a new focus for the Virtual Engagement Officer—keeping these donors engaged and building lasting connections that will shape the future major gift pipeline.
Meanwhile, as Western Carolina closes its campaign, traditional frontline fundraising staff are focused on dollars in the door. Meanwhile, the VEO is actively widening the overall circle for future growth by rebuilding participation, increasing donor counts, and keeping the new donors close with stewardship and cultivation.
The University of Oklahoma Foundation’s VEO is already looking ahead, organizing the new interest the campaign unlocked and aligning prospects to the right portfolios so the next chapter starts with a ready-made pipeline.
Each of these teams shows us that trusted digital labor in the form of Autonomous Fundraising represents an opportunity that wasn’t available just a year ago.
With Autonomous Fundraising, campaign completion is truly the handoff, not the curtain call. Virtual Engagement Officers empower us to deepen support from these new and re-engaged donors, preparing us for the inevitable next campaign before this one even closes.
We don’t lose our closest friends by calling too often.
We lose them by staying silent.
Fundraising works the same way.
Our study of 126,822 new donors wasn’t about how many times you should ask. It was about how quickly you should follow up. And the results were clear:
- Donors reengaged within 30 days gave more and stayed longer
- By day 32, response rates and ROI fell sharply
- Average gift declined steadily the longer organizations waited
That’s speed. And speed matters.
But here’s where it connects to frequency: relationships—whether personal or with donors—are built on presence. Quick follow-up after the first gift sets the tone. Ongoing, meaningful communication sustains it.
Donor fatigue isn’t what breaks relationships. Silence does.
So thank quickly. Show impact. And don’t be afraid to stay in touch. Because every conversation, every update, every ask is another thread that strengthens the bond.
#Fundraising#DonorEngagement#DonorRetention#NonprofitLeadership#CommunityBuilding
Before it was about getting donors to write checks. Now it’s about involving them in your ecosystem. Here’s 5 steps to get started today:
You’re not just fundraising anymore.
You’re onboarding stakeholders.
If you want repeatable, compounding revenue from donors, partners, and decision-makers, you need to stop treating them like check-writers…
…and start treating them like collaborators in a living system.
Here’s how.
1. Diagnose your “center of gravity”
Most orgs center fundraising around the mission. But the real gravitational pull for donors is their identity.
→ Ask yourself: What is the identity we help our funders step into?
Examples: Systems Disruptor. Local Hero. Climate Investor. Opportunity Builder.
Build messaging, experiences, and invites around that identity, not just impact stats.
2. Turn every program into a flywheel for new capital
Stop separating “program delivery” from “fundraising.”
Your programs are your best sales engine
→ Examples:
• Invite donors to shadow frontline staff for one hour
• Allow funders to sponsor a real-time decision and see the outcome
• Let supporters “unlock” bonus services for beneficiaries through engagement, not just cash
People fund what they help shape.
3. Use feedback as a funding mechanism
Most orgs treat surveys as box-checking. But used right, feedback is fundraising foreplay.
→ Ask donors and partners to co-define what “success” looks like before you report back.
Then build dashboards, stories, and events around their metrics.
You didn’t just show impact.
You made them part of the operating model.
4. Make your “thank you” do heavy lifting
Thanking donors isn’t the end of a transaction. It’s the first trust test for future collaboration.
→ Instead of a generic “thank you,” send:
• A 1-minute voice memo with a specific insight you gained from their gift
• A sneak peek at a challenge you’re tackling and ask for their perspective
• A micro-invite: “Can I get your eyes on something next week?”
You’re not closing a loop. You’re opening a door.
5. Build a “Donor OS” (Operating System)
Every funder should have a journey, not just a transaction history.
→ Track things like:
• What insight made them first say “I’m in”?
• Who do they influence (and who influences them)?
• What kind of risk are they comfortable taking?
• What internal narrative did your mission fulfill for them?
Then tailor comms, invitations, and roles accordingly.
Not everyone needs another newsletter but someone does want a seat at the strategy table.
With purpose and impact, Mario
If You Want Volunteers to Be More Helpful With Fundraising, Don't Ask Them to Fundraise
Don't ask them to fundraise from their peers, ask them to share:
▫️ Service goals not "strategic pillars"
▫️ Examples of how you intend to better serve the community not what you need
▫️ Concepts and ask for candid responses not hand out your campaign brochure
▫️ Conversations with your difference makers not the same old elevator pitch
They can do that interpersonally or by hosting conversational events.
Let's face it; most volunteers are not comfortable asking for money. The more you try to nudge them, the more support and collateral material they will ask for. That often leads to the best professional fundraisers being taken out the field to support the most reluctant volunteers.
Those who actually are willing to ask for money and are reasonably effective at it, report that the chums they raise money from turn around a few months later and ask them to the same for their favorite organization. So if one of your volunteers raises 10 gifts of 10,000, he or she is asked by those ten donors to reciprocate. Every $100,000 raised costs that volunteer a $100,000 in quid pro quo giving. Wouldn't you rather that $100,000 be given to you?
Ah, but if you ask volunteers to share the big ideas and service aspirations that most resonant with them, they become natural recruiters. They seek out kindred spirits who want to be a part of a movement and to make something happen. It won't set up a quid pro quo because those recruited will feel as if something was done for them rather than asked of them.
At bare minimum the vetting of concepts by volunteers will serve as a good test marketing exercise that will help your organization see what does and doesn't resonate, allowing you to refine your key initiatives as you go.
Asking for candid reactions to drafts of promising initiatives will open many more doors than fundraising requests - and build more communities of shared purpose.
Your major donor just called and listed out all of their frustrations. You won't like what they had to say.
It wasn't about money. It wasn't about competing priorities. It wasn't about the economy.
It was about you.
"They never told me what my gift accomplished," they said. "I gave $25,000 and got a form letter thank you. Then nothing for eight months."
"When I finally called to ask about impact, they couldn't give me specifics. Just vague statements about 'helping the community.'"
"I realized they didn't see me as a partner. They saw me as an ATM."
‼️ The organizations losing major donors aren't victims of donor fatigue. They're victims of donor neglect. ‼️
Your major donors don't leave because they can't afford to give. They leave because you can't afford to care.
Pull up your major donor communications from the last year. For each donor over $10,000, ask:
👉 Did they receive specific impact reports tied to their gift?
👉 Did someone call them personally within 3-5 days?
👉 Did they get invited to see their impact firsthand?
👉 Did you ask for their input on organizational direction?
If you answered "no" to any of these, you've got a problem.
The most successful major donor programs I work with treat donors like investors, not transactions:
👉 They provide quarterly impact reports with specific outcomes.
👉 They invite donors to strategic planning conversations.
👉 They offer behind-the-scenes access to programs and leadership.
👉 They ask for advice, not just money.
Your major donors aren't leaving because they don't care about your mission. They're leaving because you don't care about them.
Fix your relationship problem before you blame donor capacity.
Because in fundraising, how you treat donors after they give determines whether they'll give again.
Want to fail at fundraising? Do this:
🔨 Bombard contacts relentlessly.
🚫 Ask without getting permission first.
🙉 Ignore preferences and boundaries.
💔 Damage relationships with pushy tactics.
💸 Chase quick cash. Forget relationships.
🏧 Treat your database like an ATM.
⏳ Waste time on uninterested prospects.
Want to succeed? Do this instead:
🎯 Take the time to build genuine connections.
🎯 Listen more. Talk less.
🎯 Tailor your approach to each person's interests.
🎯 Get permission before asking.
🎯 Share inspiring stories of impact.
🎯 Offer multiple ways to get involved.
🎯 Express sincere gratitude for every gift.
🎯 Provide regular updates, not just appeals.
🎯 Show people who give the important role they play in the mission.
🎯 Build a community, not just a donor list.
Remember, great fundraising isn't about the money.
It's about the mission and the people who believe in it.
It took me 2 years to realize:
True donor engagement isn't about soliciting; it's about serving.
To bring out the best in your donors, you must give your best:
Want the best giving outcomes?
↳ Give them the best impact opportunities and involvement.
Want meaningful relationships?
↳ Provide meaningful stewardship.
Want better donor retention?
↳ Give them better recognition and reporting.
Want your donors to grow?
↳ Provide them with learning about your mission and mentorship opportunities.
Want more major gifts and new commitments?
↳ Celebrate their philanthropy with gratitude and storytelling.
A fundraiser is not the one who closes the biggest gifts.
A fundraiser is the one who treats every donor as transformational.
Nonprofit spoiler alert: Your fundraising appeals are not for you, your board, executive leadership, or that one vocal critic on your program staff.
If you accept the premise above, you need to start behaving differently.
Instead of crafting messaging that pleases internal audiences, you need to:
1. Remove your organization from the story completely (or as completely as humanly possible)
2. Tell stories of need (success stories are great in your newsletter and impact reports -- but they reduce response in appeals)
3. Write for simplicity and clarity (i.e., 5th-7th grade level)
4. Use serif fonts, black text on white backgrounds, indent paragraphs, and use at least 12-point font (all of these improve readability and increase the likelihood that you'll get a response)
5. Don't talk about your accomplishments - that removes the donor's need to act (because you've already solved the problem)
6. Present a clear and compelling offer (reason to give)
7. Don't downplay the ask. Be direct, specific, and upfront in what you're asking the donor to do
8. Write from one person to one person
9. Restate your offer and call to action in your P.S.
DickersonBakker#fundraising#nonprofit#directmail#digital#marketing#philanthropy#abetterway#strategy#directresponse#audience