To build loyalty among donors, she wrote, ”You simply need to behave in a way that inspires loyalty.”

And that means, simply:

• “Be thankful.  It’s the most important and most neglected basic.
• “Be clear.  Show where the money goes.  Consistently, over time.
• “Be accessible.  Make sure supporters can find you when they need to.”

It doesn’t get any simpler than that.

The new ED will be responsible for several roles, including:

• Marketing the Oregon Symphony in the Mid-Willamette Valley
• Managing ticket sales to symphony concerts
• Keeping symphony association finances sound
• Managing the concerts
• Providing fundraising leadership for the association

This is a full-time position. Salary is $40,000 to $50,000 per year. More information is on the Web at www.orsymphonysalem.org/joblisting or here.

A 100 percent response rate is unheard of in fundraising direct mail, and the letter has been praised as perhaps the best fundraising letter ever.

“The letter is a brilliant example of what is often neglected in direct mail appeals today,” wrote Ken Burnett, a veteran fundraiser and consultant. ”It addresses perfectly the four key aspects of direct appeals: audience, offer, format as well as the creative, which is often the main focus of today’s appeals and in response terms generally the least important.”

It’s long but worth a read. Click here to access this masterpiece.

Barton, inset photo, was an advertising agency founder, author and member of Congress.

“While extolling the lessons we can learn from Bruce Barton’s classic copywriting, it should be pointed out that this fine letter is flawed in some ways too,” Burnett wrote. “Though Barton was, we understand, a lifelong moderate Republican, viewed by today’s standards at least, some of his references might be considered racist or sexist. Attitudes obviously were different back then, though we’re not sure that this allowance excuses the comment (about immigrants) which even then many might have found offensive.

“The offer is powerful and distinct, promising donors the ‘best time you ever bought for $1000’. And having built readers’ interest to a crescendo the end paragraph allows no element of doubt that they will want to donate, with Barton posing the question in the last line: ‘What will you have, ten boys or ten girls?’

“This letter is a classic and is an absolute jewel of donor/fundraiser communication that offers many lessons for today.”

For more comments on the letter, see the post from Cheryl Chapman, managing editor of Philanthropy UK here.

Conrad Teitell wrote to the Senate Finance Committee on behalf of the American Council on Gift Annuities.

“Let’s win this one for the giver,” he wrote. ”Make permanent now the expired law that allows generous individuals 70 1/2 or older to contribute up to $100,000 annually from their IRAs directly to public charities.

“Actually, the real winners are the Americans who are served by our nation’s charities.

“The federal government is also a winner. Americans making gifts to charity provide funds to meet needs that in many cases would otherwise be a function of government.”

Read the complete text of Teitell’s letter here.

Photo of Conrad Teitell

The donor says, “Yes.”

Great. You say, “Thanks,” with great enthusiasm. You describe how the gift will make a difference. Then what?

Andy Robinson and Harvey McKinnon, two fundraising consultants, wrote an interesting piece for the Grassroots Fundraising Journal which was picked up by GuideStar. In it they suggest as many as 12 questions you could ask, depending on the circumstances.

1. “How would you like to pay?”
2. “How do you want us to use this gift?”
3. “How would you like to be recognized?”
4. “Do you want your gift to honor someone you care about?”
5. Will you please “tell me a little more about why you support our work?”
6. “Would you be willing to give a testimonial we can use in our newsletter or other promotional materials?”
7. “Would you be willing to join us at a board meeting and talk about why you support our work?”
8. “How would you like to be kept informed about our work and how often?”
9. “When I come back to give you an update, would you be willing to include family members so they can learn about your support of our work?”
10. “Can you recommend other people we can talk to about a gift?”
11. “Given your strong commitment to our work, would you consider volunteering to help us raise money?”
12. “What’s your personal giving calendar?”

Find the full article and expansions on the questions here.

Network for Good says you “need this course,” because:

1. SURVIVAL: The number one reason that donors stop supporting a nonprofit is the way they were treated by the nonprofit.  They complain about lack of thank-yous and reporting on the difference they made.  So we need a great acknowledgement program.

2. SUCCESS: Your gratitude helps bond a donor to your cause.  It’s good fundraising practice.

3. DIFFERENTIATION: We’ll be honest. Most nonprofits are terrible at thanking and keeping donors! If you’re good, you are going to stand out. Be the best organization at saying thank-you and you’ll be seen as truly special.

4. MANNERS: Saying “thanks” often and well is simply the right thing to do. Ask any etiquette expert.

The $129 course takes about three hours, and you pace yourself. At the end, the participant should have:

• A donor acknowledgement plan
• A calendar and checklist to keep you on track all year
• A model thank-you for your donors

To register for the course, go here.

Network for Good and Convio have published an e-book to help nonprofits discover ways to capture some of this mobile giving. Nonprofits can sign up through Network to access the e-book, but a simpler way is just to download it here.

For more on mobile giving, including a list of vendors, see Mobile charitable giving is growing.

Photo from Microsoft

Nothing, except for this: When asked why he robbed banks, Sutton (photo at left) famously replied, “Because that’s where the money is.” Decades later Bidwell wrote an article pointing out that “real estate assets comprise over 35% of the assets of U.S. households.” If so, he went on, “development offices…are increasingly recognizing the need to go where the wealth is–the largely untapped potential of real estate.”

Bidwell, a Massachusetts real estate consultant, wrote Real Estate in Challenging Times for the Planned Giving Design Center (see the full article here). In the article he wrote, “More and more non-profits are re-examining the risk and reward relationship of real estate gifts and are determining now is the time to start tapping in to the enormous real estate wealth transfer that surrounds us.”

It’s no surprise that, in these challenging times, cash gifts are often hard to attract. Some professional advisors have begun to suggest that their clients turn instead to real estate gifts as a way of meeting their philanthropic objectives.

Many nonprofits have so far resisted the temptation to seek real estate gifts. Their gift acceptance policies may even prohibit these gifts. It should not surprise us to learn from Bidwell that only 3 percent of charitable giving in recent years has come from real estate, despite the fact that more than a third of household assets is in real estate. Bidwell lays out a process of reversing course for those that choose to do so:

• Assess policies and determine if changes are needed.
• Convene key players to refine policies and procedures.
• Develop screening processes and due diligence to assess potential gifts and minimize risks (environmental assessment being among the most important).
• Develop procedures to sell real estate as quickly as possible.
• Train staff and board members on how to recognize potential real estate gifts and how to discuss gifts with donors.
• Determine how to market gifts for sale.

Consultant Michael Rosen blogged today about a Texas Tech University study of brain scans that found evidence of what motivates these charitable impulses.

“We now have scientific evidence suggesting the importance of being donor centered,” Rosen wrote. “The study reveals that it is a donor’s own story that matters most to the donor. Therefore, fundraisers should first focus on the donor’s story, his sense of self, his desired legacy, the things that are important to him. Then, the fundraiser can relate the organization’s mission and needs back to the donor’s story. Fundraisers who do this are most likely to achieve the best results.

“Making a charitable bequest decision involves the internal visualization system, specifically those parts of the brain engaged for recalling autobiographical events, including the recent death of a loved one. Charitable bequest decision-making engages parts of the brain associated with what researchers call ‘management of death salience.’ In other words–and not surprisingly–charitable bequest decision-making involves reminders of one’s mortality.”

Rosen draws these conclusions for the benefit of fundraising professionals:

• “Focus on the donor’s story.
• “Match the organization’s mission and needs with the donor’s autobiographical sense.
• “Establish artificial deadlines and urgency to overcome a prospect’s natural avoidance tendencies.
• “Suggest giving opportunities that provide some type of lasting memorial to the donor and assure the donor of the organization’s long-term stability.”