In the closing plenary of this year's International Fundraising Congress Kumi Naidoo, International Executive Director of Greenpeace, shared an inspiring story I'd like to pass on to you (slightly paraphrased). Kumi is a life long activist from South-Africa, where he was involved in the anti-apartheid movement.

Kumi Naidoo: 'My best friend growing up was Lenny Naidu, and we fled around the same time into exile in 1987. He asked me a question the last time I would see him before we fled.'

opinion, the fundraiserReinier SpruitNovember 23, 2014Kumi Naidoo, IFC2014, IFC

Retention Fundraising: adapt or die!

Almost 10 years ago Roger Craver gave me the book Moneyball from Michael Lewis. I was excited, because I have played ball since I was a kid. I love baseball. The book is about the Oakland Athletics baseball team and its general manager Billy Beane.

Roger told me it could widen my horizon, that I would look at things differently and think outside the (batter’s) box. He wasn’t talking about baseball, but fundraising…

The BIG 5 in fundraising performance metrics

You might love it. You might hate it. But if you respect your donors and your work as a fundraiser you are likely to spend a few hours per week looking at reports. Those reports will tell you all sorts of things about the behavior of your donors, a.k.a. your fundraising results. But, in general, what are the most important fundraising performance metrics you should monitor? Keep reading and get your free download at the end of this post.

What I'm about to share seems somewhat simple perhaps. This is in fact not simple; these are the basics! Unfortunately too many fundraisers out there still don’t respect the basics.

data analysisReinier SpruitMay 9, 2014data analysis, data, metrics, ROI, lifetime value, retention, acquisition, example

25 awesome fundraising quotes

Often we hear great quotes capturing the essence of the message. They are inspiring! They remind us of the important reasons why we work for charity and how we should do it, or how best practice would describe it…

In December I attended The Annual Lectures, where an awesome line-up of speakers was challenged to deliver their message in 30 minutes. This forced them to be to the point. And I heard some great quotes.

My wish: be the blue fish!

Next year I wish you to be the blue fish. Charities need to break free from the uniformity. If you want your charity's story to not only reach (potential) donors, but actually be remembered a day after donors have read/saw/listened to them, something needs to change.

If you pick up a stack of direct mail appeals, or newsletters, or see 10 nonprofit e-mail bulletins next to each other, they are pretty much the same. Admit it. The logo might be different, but otherwise it's more or less the same. You see the differences, but your audience can't tell.

opinionReinier SpruitDecember 21, 2013Dick van der Lecq, different, investment

Legacy income in The Netherlands 2003-2012

Today I'll zoom in on legacy income. First we'll look at the available figures from the CBF from the last 10 years.

To give you an idea of the growth trend of the market I've selected 121 organisations that reported their legacy income both in 2003 and 2012.

This group reported a legacy income in 2003 of nearly EUR 178 million. The same group reported a legacy income in 2012 of almost EUR 235 million. Almost the same as the year before.

YOU are the reason for your results

Today I want to share what I think is the single most important ingredient for fundraising success. This ingredient can make it, or break it. It’s the multiplier effect. It’s the most powerful element in your fundraising program. Every fundraising program has at least one, some have more, but nobody seems to have enough. Some are good. Some are considered good, but are in fact not.

You’ve guessed it. I’m talking about The Fundraiser. Yes, you.

the fundraiser, opinionReinier SpruitSeptember 12, 2013Charlie Hulme, Adrian Sargeant, Jen Shang, the fundraiser

20 symptoms of fundraising trouble

There are a lot of fundraisers out there who are in their comfort zone. They don’t like change; they might be afraid of change.

If you are doing everything right, the need for change is obviously less urgent. However, most of us are not doing everything right. So there is a big chance you can improve your fundraising.

And the only one stopping you is… well, eh… YOU!

opinionReinier SpruitJune 17, 2013change, the fundraiser, trouble

TED Talk: The way we think about charity is dead wrong

This post shares the amazing TED Talk from Dan Pallotta. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch it… It’s one of those must see videos!

The TED website writes: “Activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta calls out the double standard that drives our broken relationship to charities. Too many nonprofits, he says, are rewarded for how little they spend — not for what they get done. Instead of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start rewarding charities for their big goals and big accomplishments (even if that comes with big expenses). In this bold talk, he says: Let’s change the way we think about changing the world.”

Please watch the TED Talk video right here, right now! Or read the full transcript below. And after you’ve seen it, share it with your colleagues, your directors and your board…

inspirationReinier SpruitApril 2, 2013video, TED Talk, Dan Pallotta, impact, spending

Knock knock! Who’s there? Opportunity!

When I moved houses I used the postal company to forward my mail to my new address. This service also allowed me to let my utility suppliers, insurance companies and charities know that I had moved. The online platform let me tick the boxes of those charities that I am supporting. But there was also an option for me to request information from charities that I am not currently supporting, but am interested in.

As a fundraiser I like to test, so I ticked my boxes, and a couple more, and a few more, and some more. I ticked 33 boxes, from both charities I support and I’m interested in. Now we wait and see what happens…

opinionReinier SpruitJanuary 24, 2013opportunity, example, trouble

Retention Song

If you really want to go for retention you have to record the Retention Song with your fundraising team. I’ve especially adapted Bob Marley’s lyrics for everyone to embrace the area of retention. So, just do it. Get out your camera and tape it. It will increase your retention rates by at least 20%. Trust me…

funReinier SpruitNovember 19, 2012Bob Marley, retention, retention song, donor centricity, relationship fundraising

It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark

Recently I had some fundraisers over to catch up on fundraising developments. They wanted to pick my brain on what I think is “good fundraising” and “where things are going”. These conversations are always interesting, because it helps me shape my own thinking on what is really important.

A diversity of topics surfaced the table in approximately 90 minutes: acquisition channels, retention programs, engagement opportunities, stricter privacy laws, reporting environments, team structure, etc.

donor acquisitionReinier SpruitAugust 16, 2012hype cycle, acquisition channels, innovation, Howard Ruff