Expert advice from the Fundraising Success Conference

I spent last Thursday at my desk attending the Fundraising Success Virtual Conference & Expo. It was my first "virtual" conference, which was quite an experience in and of itself!

And since it's all online, you can still check it out for yourself.

But even more striking than the cool technology is all the wise advice and brilliant insights they managed to pack into one day.

I've written up some of what I thought you'd find most useful.

I'll start with the big one...

Recognize and reward loyal donors. On average, 20% of an organization's donors define themselves as "loyal" givers. And, these donors are worth FOUR times more to your organization than your average donor.

Loyal donors tend to be loyal to most of the groups they support, not just one or two. And they will typically self-identify as loyal donors.

The rub? Loyal donors have no specific demographic criteria.

So, how do you find them? You ask.

Survey your donors on their giving habits. Ask why they give to you, what other groups they support, and whether they tend to be loyal to the organizations they give to.

Once you find these blessed souls, reward their loyalty. Acknowledge their anniversaries as donors (first, fifth, tenth, etc). Do something special when a donor's cumulative giving reaches a certain level. Create a club for donors who have been giving loyally for a specific number of years. You get the idea...

Here are some other short and sweet tips...

Abandon your envelope teasers on direct mail appeals. Testing has shown that more often than not, a blank envelope is more intriguing than whatever you can come up with to put on the outside.

84% of donors prefer to be asked to give by someone they know.

Get your website in order -- 80% of people will visit your website before deciding to give (or not!) even if they don't give online.

Send your newsletter in an envelope. Testing proves a higher response rate for newsletters that aren't sent as self-mailers.

Donors want choices. About where their money goes. About how you contact them (email, phone, etc). About how often they hear from you. Give your donors choices and reap the benefits. Jeff Brooks of the must-read daily blog Future Fundraising Now says, donor choice is the "closest thing I know to magic."

One of the best acquisition strategies you have is to "rekindle the love" with lost donors. Develop a dedicated message just for them -- you miss them, you need them, and you want them back.

More and more, donors want to be involved beyond just giving. Are you offering your supporters opportunities to volunteer, tour your facility, etc?

Integrate your fundraising. Take every opportunity online and offline to ask your supporters for their email addresses. Maximize your website with an option to capture more than just an email address. Tell people why you want the info -- make them an offer; give them the benefits!

So those are the points I thought you'd find most interesting. Go see for yourself what else there is to learn...

You'll have access to everything the conference had to offer -- all the webinars, white papers, case studies, etc -- for the next three months. And it's all free. Just click here.