How do you ask your new donor for a second gift without undermining the sincerity of your thank you? And, when is the best time to ask your donors to give again?

Donor thank you calls are an effective nonprofit communications strategy. Use this thank you call script as a guide and inspiration to improve donor stewardship & long-term giving.

Even in December, the giving season isn't over. Maximize your year-end giving with these 3 simple steps that will help you meet (and hopefully exceed) your annual fundraising goals.

When is the best time to mail your year-end giving letter? Before or after Thanksgiving? Here are the main points to consider when planning your end of year fundraising letter.

The digital market may seem more attractive, yet it raises less than a tenth of the money that direct mail raises. Direct mail offers a personalized approach to a targeted audience.

Should we encourage our donors to switch to online giving? Won’t that save us money? Studies show that the answer is a resounding NO. It actually costs you money - find out why.

There is no greater way of thanking your donors than showing them the impact of their generosity by ways sending them a Donor Impact Report. Let them know why their donation matters!

In improving first-time donor renewal, every touch matters. Email offers you a quick, effective and personal touch that resembles a classic thank you letter recipients will appreciate.

A recent study found that while donors acquired online have a higher average first gift, those acquired by direct mail giving have higher retention rates & greater long-term value.

So, the thank you letter is in the mail. What next? Pick up the phone. Thank you telephone calls are proven to increase donor retention rates. Read more on the who, what, when and how.

Here are a few tried-and-true methods for offering a thank you—better still, a series of thank-yous—to those supporting your work. Starting with the highly appreciated thank you letter.

Use a well-designed donation response card for ask strings during your next direct mail fundraising campaign: it is a proven formula that works even on experts in their own field.

Read Five Maples' analysis of why a development director missed her declining retention rate and find out how she fixed it by following a terrific action plan to improve retention.

You need an easy way to communicate with different groups based on their interests & relationship with you. That’s one of the reasons for segmentation. Read more about this approach.

Learn from our founding father, Ben Franklin, the fundraising pioneer responsible for the first matching gift campaign. Time for you to use the magic of the matching gift too!

Organizations that benefit from the year-end surge in giving don’t wait until after Thanksgiving dinner to start the process. They start their plan in January & keep at it each month.

Major donors have the biggest influence on your annual fund result. Keeping their renewal rate high is essential. Gradually increasing their gift amount gets the best overall results.

Boost monthly giving by upgrading your nonprofit donation response card and fundraising letter to: make it more prominent, focus on donor segmentation and offer a bank draft option.

Though our loyalties have changed over the years we stick with the Compassion International charity. Why? For two reasons: great donor communications & automatic monthly giving.

Find out how to combine ask strings with the right ask sentence in your fundraising letter and donation response card to help build donor trust and sustain and increase giving.