Category: Fundraising tips

By Laurence A. Pagnoni, MPA A reader asks, “How do I get more people through my online giving process to complete a donation?” Laurence answers, “Remove seemingly unnecessary steps!” Oftentimes, staff with no training in web usability gets involved in decisions about what to include on a donation page. For example, your development director may want to collect a lot of information about online donors during the giving process to put to use at a later time. The result is often “form field creep,” i.e. you get greedy and ask for too much information up front. Unnecessary steps lengthen the

By Laurence A. Pagnoni, MPA Many readers write in with questions and Laurence responds on our blog, but this one he wanted to feature because it frequently arises. A reader inquires, “How many times should I keep asking a prospective donor, or a renewing donor, to meet with me before I give up?” From, Mary, Director of Development for a large cultural organization Mary, have you ever heard of the Rule of Three? It applies to your question and to fundraising from individual donors in general. There’s something magical about three. Think: The Three Musketeers, The Three Little Pigs, or,