Identifying who should stay in a portfolio and who should be removed, is a difficult decision frontline fundraisers have to make. Once removed, it's unlikely those rated, known prospects will receive one-to-one engagement again. But that one-to-one engagement is exactly what these donors need to move through the pipeline. This is the common pain point across advancement: not enough capacity to reach the volume of rated and known donors who could make a real impact on the miss

Less than 3% of donors have a prospect manager. At an institution with 250,000 solicitable donors, that can mean upwards of 50,000 rated, giving donors with no assigned gift officer. Mass communication can check a box to reach those donors, but it can't replicate what one-to-one engagement does for retention, upgrades, and lapsed donor reactivation. Traditionally, to reach more donors and solve the capacity problem, organizations have had to add more people, but there are nev

Over the last few months, several fundraising reports have analyzed last year’s philanthropy, with Giving USA's annual report among the most recent. The common thread as I’ve read through them: philanthropy continues to grow. But anyone who's spent time inside a development office knows that a topline number rarely tells the full story. Most organizations have more donors who deserve individual attention than staff allow. That gap has always existed, but with each new report

There's a particular feeling that sets in around this time of year. Emails return vacation auto-replies more often than responses. The event calendar skips ahead to fall. The only thing gaining momentum is the summer slump, and your donors' attention is much harder to earn. For organizations on a July-to-June fiscal year, it feels impossible to "start the year strong" until September. For everyone else, momentum plateaus. Teams stretch thin, take well-deserved vacations, and