The Donor Bond: How to Nurture Your Donors Using Strategic Marketing and Management Techniques

Fundraising success for nonprofits in this increasingly competitive market starts with the bond that exists between a donor who has fundamental concerns about society, religion, or some cause. It is the interplay and mutual respect, encouragement, and nurturing between the two that produces the bond. Donors do care. They vote with their hearts and their checkbooks. Your nonprofit's demonstration of concern for them will encourage their loyalty to your organization and will result in a lifetime of service and gift giving.

Neglecting to go to inordinate lengths to build this donor bond or connection will cause you to miss a tremendous opportunity, both in reaching your organization's goals and in maintaining your tactical and competitive advantage. A nonprofit's growth will be predicated more and more on reaching individuals, not mass audiences, with a particularized message. This will mean using available technology to create data bases and appeals that match the donor's interest to your organization's requests. Once you have done so, your donors or customers will no longer be content to be silent partners. This book describes how to take these new 'vocal partners' and nurture them face-to-face for a lifetime of mutual service.