Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Tom Ahern is recognized as one of North America's leading authorities on how to make nonprofit communications consistently effective. He speaks frequently in the United States and Canada on reader psychology, direct mail principles, good (and not very good) graphic design as applied to fundraising and nonprofit branding. He is president of Ahern Communications, Ink, a consultancy specializing in capital campaign materials and other nonprofit communications. Tom's popular e-news provides tips on donor communications. He wrote the first book on donor newsletters, published in 2005, as well as How to Write Fundraising Materials That Raise More Money.

Simone P. Joyaux, ACFRE, is recognized internationally as a "thought leader" in the philanthropic sector. An expert in fund development, board and organizational development, and strategic planning, Simone is the author of Strategic Fund Development: Building Profitable Relationships That Last. This book has become an industry standard. Simone presents all over the world and is a faculty member in the Master's Program in Philanthropy and Development at Saint Mary's University, Minnesota. She serves regularly on boards, is the founder of the Women's Fund of Rhode Island, and is the former Chair of CFRE International.

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Praise for

Keep Your Donors

The Guide to Better Communications and Stronger Relationships

"No other book on the market addresses the primary role of fundraisers building relationships. The duo of expertise from Tom Ahern and Simone Joyaux make this the book to own. An instant classic."
Susan F. Rice, ACFRE, former chair, CFRE International

"At LAST! Ahern and Joyaux have produced a much-needed volume that combines concrete theory with the realities of fundraising to create a practical guide to fundraising communications. This will be an essential addition to every fundraiser's library and an important resource for CFRE exam candidates."
Morgean Hirt, Executive Director, CFRE International

"A great book...a great read...value beyond words. Ahern and Joyaux have married ideas, insights, stories, and real-life examples to remind us all...it is all about the donor."
J. A. (Tony) Myers, Advisor to the President (Strategic Initiatives) University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

"Brilliant! A wonderful combination of big picture inspiration and practical know-how. A must-read for anyone in the nonprofit sector who cares about receiving contributions from donors."
Alexcia WhiteCrow, CFRE, Development Services ManagerPlanned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota

"These pages are filled with everything you need to know about relationship fundraising written in an easy conversational style that will have you fully engaged as a reader. The placement of sound, practical advice within the context of the deeper meaning of nonprofits and philanthropy creates an extraordinarily satisfying experience for the reader."
Carol Golden, Executive Vice President & Chief Philanthropy OfficerThe Rhode Island Foundation

"Tom and Simone have made an invaluable contribution to the art and science of relationship building that is the hallmark of successful philanthropy. This timely, practical, and thought-provoking book should be shared with institutional leaders, volunteer boards, and development professionals who are committed to challenging themselves daily to be donor-centered. The writing style is engaging, opinions are supported by research and, in their usual style, the authors have liberally shared best practices that can be readily adapted to all sectors and program size. Read this book with a pen and pad in hand and learn how to master the art of telling donor stories."
Pearl F. Veenema, FAHP, President & CEO, Hamilton Health Sciences FoundationImmediate past chair, Association for Healthcare Philanthropy

"A broadly nuanced view of written and personal fund development communications and their purpose creating and sustaining relationships that embraces philosophy, strategy, and practical tips. The counterpoint of their style intrigues, and their prose is lively and surprising: interspersing anecdotes with intermezzos with powerful challenges to the way we approach our work and our relationships. Bravo!"
Kay Sprinkel Grace, Principal, Transforming Philanthropy, LLC

Aus dem Klappentext

Keep Your Donors

The Guide to Better Communications and Stronger Relationships

Most fundraising programs do a stellar job of finding donors, but keepingthem is another matter: most new donors do not return after their first gift. These lost donors represent major lost potential for an organization's annual giving program, capital campaign efforts, and major and planned gifts.

Keep Your Donors: The Guide to Better Communications and Stronger Relationships, written by fundraising experts Tom Ahern and Simone Joyaux, is a new, winning guide to making disappointing donor retention rates a thing of the past. For the first time in one book, nonprofit professionals will find an in-depth analysis of the two things that matter most to long-term fundraising success: relationship building at all levels of the organization and a thorough look at effective fundraising communications. This practical and provocative book shows nonprofit professionals how to:

• Master the strategies and tactics that make fundraising communications profitable

• Create a "culture of philanthropy"

• Apply hard-core marketing principles to fundraising

• Understand the most complete discussion of emotional triggers ever written and the science behind them

• Create plans for relationship-building and donor communications

• Build a truly "donor-centered" program

• Write a case for support

• Measure effectiveness...and much more

This book was written for all fund development professionals who want outstanding results. Those seeking their CFRE credential will find it doubly helpful. The authors based their work in part on the CFRE and AFP job analyses, which document the roles, knowledge, and competencies required for effective fund development.

Enthusiastic, readable, and filled with case studies, Keep Your Donors is the definitive guide to getting new donors and keeping them for many years to come.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Keep Your Donors

John Wiley & Sons

Chapter One

THE CONTEXT FOR EVERYTHING ELSE

The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice. -Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, Dune: House Harkonnen

DEAR READER As the title promises, this book focuses on increasing donor loyalty by nurturing relationships and using communications to help nurture those relationships.

But-and it's a big but-something else comes first: the context for this work. For Tom and me, this context is the heart and soul of the book. We believe this context is critical, and that's where we begin. Simone

Why the Larger Context Matters

I'm one of the forest-and-trees people. I embrace the big picture as well as the smaller items inside the picture. I believe in keeping both in my mind at one time, despite the occasional difficulty! As both business theory and self-help guides proclaim, it's important to have a vision to know where you are going. That's the forest picture. With that big picture in mind, it's easier to understand why and how the trees-the smaller items-fit inside.

For me, everything is linked. That's systems thinking. Ignoring one part of the system doesn't work. It's like a prospective client who wants me to help raise more money but doesn't want me to talk about mission and values, governance, and management. I explain it's like a house, one system. You've asked me to fix the plumbing, but you won't let me fix the heating system that causes the plumbing to freeze. I can fix the plumbing but it will freeze and break again. We have to fix the heating system, too.

Just about every problem I've ever encountered in fund development arises because the organization or the staff (including the fundraiser) doesn't understand the larger context. It's like wearing blinders. For many fundraisers, no one talks with them enough about the larger context. For others, they're focused on the trees and don't respect the forest. Still others suspect there's a forest and want to understand it, but are stymied by unsupportive leadership.

I'm not alone in this perception. Fund development colleagues around the world tell me that the larger context is critical but isn't talked about enough. Well, this book talks about that, just like I do always.

For me, the larger context includes two elements: (1) a philosophical framework for philanthropy and (2) effective organizations that create an environment conducive to effective fund development. I believe these two elements position organizations to develop better fund development programs.

Relationship building (which includes communications) is embedded within this larger context. In my experience, the ability to move back and forth through the layers of context-or preferably integrate them fully and seamlessly-affect all the work that nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) do.

Philosophical Framework

I begin with the first element of the larger context: the philosophical framework.

I think that most professionals ask themselves this question: Why do I choose to do "this work"? I imagine that a doctor asks that question, so does a teacher, so does any professional. And each of them answers the question personally.

I imagine those working in the nonprofit/NGO sector answer that question by saying "I believe in the mission." For example, someone working in an environmental organization might say, "I do this work in order to make sure we have clean air to breathe." Or maybe "I'm fighting to reduce carbon emissions so we can reduce global warming and protect the planet and its species."

But I think there is another question that those of us who focus on the nonprofit/NGO sector must ask and answer: Why do I choose to work in this sector?

I think this sector demands leaders who are committed to more than their organization's particular mission. I believe this sector requires a broader commitment, to philanthropy and civil society. I call that a philosophical framework.

Who are these leaders with this broader commitment? I'm referring to fundraisers and executive directors at least, and hopefully many others in the organization. And in my experience, it's often the fundraisers who have to lead the executive directors to this understanding.

Here's my philosophical frame, part of the heart and soul of this book about relationships and communications.

This I Believe

This is my really big picture.

I believe in "the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family," because this is the "foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world," as it says in the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And nonprofits the world over fight for these rights.

I believe in the European Constitution, described as

the first [governmental] document of its kind to expand the human franchise to the level of global consciousness, with rights and responsibilities that encompass the totality of human existence on Earth.... The language throughout the text is one of universalism, making it clear that its focus is not a people, or a territory, or a nation, but rather the human race and the planet we inhabit. If we were to sum up the gist of the document, it would be a commitment to respect human diversity, promote inclusivity, champion human rights and the rights of nature, foster quality of life, pursue sustainable development, free the human spirit for deep play, build a perpetual peace, and nurture a global consciousness.

And NGOs around the globe struggle to make these changes.

I hope that, together, we can build these communities. I believe that, together, we must try. And the nonprofit/NGO sector is critical to this community-building process.

Building Community

John Gardner's 1991 monograph, "On Building Community," remains one of my favorite writings. Gardner understands community as place and as belonging. "Where community exists it confers upon its members identity, a sense of belonging, a measure of security." He recognizes communities of all types: workplace, school, religious organization, club, trade union, town, neighborhood, and so forth.

He talks about the importance of community: "Families and communities are the ground-level generators and preservers of values and ethical systems ... the ideals of justice and compassion are nurtured in communities."

He reminds us that the word "community" itself "implies some degree of wholeness." The opposite, fragmentation, stops us from thinking or acting as a community. Gardner describes the breakdown of community and some of the causes.

A decade later, using the metaphor of "bowling alone" (where previously people bowled in teams), Robert Putnam echoes similar causes that erode social connectedness and community involvement: pressures of time and money, mobility and sprawl, technology and mass media, breakdown of the old-time traditional family unit, and generational, gender, and ethnic issues. All this contributes to "isolation, alienation, estrangement," which means there is "no...