FundRaiser Blog

The FundRaiser Software Blog is an excellent resource for nonprofit organizations looking to learn more about fundraising, donor management, membership management, and much more.

3 Tips for Appeal Letters

Mary Lenker
68

We’re into the end of the year giving season when many organizations are sending out appeal letters. This is a busy time for many nonprofits between Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday, and then Christmas and last minute donations before the New Year rolls around. Yet, it’s important to give as much thought, if not more, to the appeal letters you send during this time of year. Your donors will most likely receive more of them and each one has to stand out.

Here are three tips to get you started.

Continue reading
Tags:
appeal letters End of Year Letters holiday letters holiday giving
Tweet
Trainers Blog
4185 Hits

Three Things To Prepare For Holiday Mailings

Mary Lenker
64

As we enter the last quarter of the year, many organizations begin to think about their holiday fundraising campaigns. The holiday season, including the end of the year and all the associated holidays, is a big time of year for sending appeal letters and in the US, the January tax letters indicating the giving that had happened during the previous calendar year. Before you begin creating these mailings, try taking these three steps to ensure they’re reaching the right people and are cost effective for your organization.

Continue reading
Tags:
appeal letters campaign management
Tweet
Non-Profit Fundraising Tips
3794 Hits

What do you do with motivation codes?

Mary Lenker
62_header

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the coding of gifts in any donor management software. There’s motivation codes, which track what prompted your donor to give, and purpose codes, which track the way in which the gift will be used. Once you code a gift, other than running reports for the month (or year), what can do you do with them?

Continue reading
Tags:
appeal letters gift entry Codes
Tweet
Non-Profit Fundraising Tips
3882 Hits

The Value of a Salutation

Mary Lenker
blogheader_0723

As many of the letters being sent transition from paper to digital and even email is being replaced by text messages and push notifications on apps, it’s important to think about whether we still have a place for formal salutations. While politeness and courtesy will never go out of style, too often when we call someone Mr. or Ms., such titles are eschewed for the person’s first name. When appealing to donors, what salutation should you use?

Continue reading
Tags:
salutation letter templates appeal letters event management
Tweet
Non-Profit Fundraising Tips
2941 Hits

Creating Value with Non-Ask Events

Mary Lenker
ask_events_header

Most of the time organizations offer donors reciprocated value. They send thank you notes in response to donations, preprinted labels in the hopes of receiving a donation, tickets when purchased, or other tangible things received either in response to or in anticipation of a donation. This isn’t bad, but it’s very reactive. It assumes the organization has a quid pro quo relationship with its donors.

To start thinking proactively, it’s important to work on non-reciprocated value. This is something that you can offer to your donors for free without asking for a donation or any other consideration. When it holds real value for them, it becomes memorable.

Continue reading
Tags:
event management appeal letters donor loyalty donor recognition donor targeting
Tweet
Non-Profit Fundraising Tips
2399 Hits

The Who, What, and When of Tax Summary Letters

Sasha Daucus
The Who, What, and When of Tax Summary Letters

What is an End of Year letter? Usually it is one of two things:

a letter which contains a summary of all donations that a donor has made to your organization in the past year. This is sent in January, to help donors with their taxes.an appeal letter which is sent in November and December to solicit donations.

This article will go more in depth about tax summary letters. You might be surprised at the return you get from this simple and helpful correspondence.

Continue reading
Tags:
tax summary letters End of Year Letters appeal letters
Tweet
Non-Profit Fundraising Tips
26728 Hits
Wait a minute, while we are rendering the calendar
campaign operational costs GivingTuesday user spotlights how-to videos correspondence solicitors membership programs Cloud salutation anonymous donors data conversion relationship tracking role of nonprofits alumni Thank You PayPal nonprofit fundraising donor engagement custom page donor loyalty brick campaign FundRaiser Spark donor targeting backing up data donor source tech tip pictures recurring gifts Donor Portal disaster relief NCOA processing phoning donors FundRaiser Hosted National Change of Address donor retention community arts nonprofits word processor features mode code lapsed donor in honor of donations advanced tab donor preferences annual maintenance plan spare fields announcements donor recognition Congratulations event management flash sales merge fields monthly giving fundraising letters Company culture appeal New Year corporate sponsors Reporting to IRS auction general support upgrading donors Resiliency how to handle auction gifts accounting software donor retention rate government grants donor attrition rate planned giving campaign management entering auction gifts budget new donors welcome packet direct mail follow up gift acceptance policy new features the Ask letter templates Volunteer module volunteering add ons updates community supported gardens importing csv correspondance annual campaign pledges case study email major donors social media Facebook campaign overview data analysis passwords Crowdfunding Campaign donor attrition foundations office targeted mailings on site training understanding giving trends banquet Importing Data community broadcasting Groupings texting donors donor relations technical support memorial giving major gift prospects End of Year Letters premiums Excel In-Kind gifts adding personal notes to letters Codes donor Alternative Addresses membership benefits Reminders security donation history merge notes operating systems appeal letters grassroots campaign communications ROI training tip #GivingTuesday mission driven tax summary letters small donations volunteers Personalizing new version data entry new leadership customer service fundraising Facebook user interface product news grants board members new nonprofit giving levels motivation code arts FundRaiser Basic donor advised funds gift entry raffle large donations Snow Birds gift notes field personalizing letters giving history online donations Task List moves management segmenting donors online donations SYBUNTS password protection endowment campaign Thanksgiving planning increasing giving amounts donor prospects mailing membersip benefits motivation building donor relationships GoFundMe project ticketsales Constant Contact holiday letters capital campaign LYBUNTS donor profile training vacation happiness charity golf tournaments transparency holiday customer portal letter thank you letters upgrade tribute gifts holiday giving donor contact information legacy giving spreadsheets Tickles repeat donors prospects publicity materials look and feel change of address updating Network for Good donor slip ticket sales reports animal rescue development director

Connect With Us

  800-880-3454 ext 3
  Email Us
  Request More Information
  Monday-Friday
      8:30AM-5:30PM CST

Customer Portal Login Form

   

The customer portal is unavailable. If you need support please reach out to support@fundraisersoftware.com Thank you.

 
  User Name:
  Password:

If you are not sure about your Customer User Name, please call 800-543-4131 and we will be able to help you.

Or you have lost your password, Request Password