With the pandemic ebbing to a degree where in-person events are now possible, it’s time to start thinking about planning that special event. While I know fundraisers have a love/hate relationship with events, the fact of the matter is that a well planned special event builds both revenue *and* community. And personally, I really like special events- I’m fairly outgoing,…
Previously, I’ve written about the benefits of calculating your Donor Retention Rate and more importantly, your Donor Revenue Retention rate. Today, I want to share how to calculate an individual Donor’s Lifetime Value, and why it’s important. What is a Donor’s Lifetime Value A donor’s lifetime value is relatively simple to calculate. It is basically the Annual Giving the donor…
I’m 49 years old. Old enough to remember the oil embargo in the 70’s and remember the recession in the early 80’s, but young enough to be inoculated from these troubles by my parents. And I also remember asking for new toys, a new computer, and my parents saying, “No”. Why? Because my parents instilled in me the value that…
It’s January 20th, and the peaceful transition of power happened on time. Like many of you, I’ve been glued to the news, and making sure the information I do receive is authentic and true. It’s hard to do sometimes, as I make sure to get information from a wide variety of sources, from MSNBC to Fox News to everything in…
Americans are generous, and generosity is fortunately in abundance in America. Let me explain. Giving is a unique American tradition. From the very beginning of our foundation as a country, Americans have responded to charitable needs and funded philanthropic missions to improve society. And it’s no different today. As Chair of the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, a program of the Association…
It certainly has been an interesting summer- especially since life gets back to ‘somewhat-normal’ as friends and families take local vacations to escape what has been essentially a local-lock-in for the last 6 months. Usually, this time of year (for the last 10+ years) I’ve revisited my roots in Hayward, Wisconsin, where I was a camp counselor and then Village…
Not quite. The recent Supreme Court ruling prohibits sex discrimination, and applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. But it’s still insanely difficult to prove, regardless of what the court says. I’m not one that follows the Supreme Court on a day-to-day fashion. Like many of you, I’m trying to come to grips with simply surviving in…
Simply put, Black Lives Matter. I don’t think I need to get on a soap box, as my commitment to diversity is known. The Biedermann Group welcomes all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, faith, socio-economic status, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity. All that is required is respect for one another. I have learned a long time ago from my…
For years, nonprofits have been grappling with the concept of donor retention and why it matters. But in reality, it’s Donor Annual Revenue Retention (DARR) that is the King of KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) Sad Donor Retention Rates A friend of mine was not having a good day. “Our donor retention is down again,” she exhaled. “I don’t see how…
