The Arkansas Nonprofit Alliance (ANA) is Arkansas’ nonprofit association and representative in the National

Council of Nonprofits. Since 2003, ANA has worked to build a stronger, more vibrant nonprofit sector in Ar-

kansas. ANA accomplishes this effort through its strong membership base of more than 350 members; pro-

fessional development, technical assistance, research and information sharing; network building; and advo-

cacy work on public policy issues affecting all nonprofits at the state and national level.

ANA’s work is supported by a foundation of best practices called the Arkansas Diamond Standards.™. ANA

believes that in order for nonprofits to be effective in accomplishing their mission, the organization must fol-

low a set of principles and practices that not only meet legal requirements, but strive for excellence in key

capacity building areas.

Visit: To learn more and join today!

.

.

.

.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU:

To Sue, David, Anna Kay and Alma at the

, we will be forever grateful for your support

and friendship!

-

-

&

.

-

-

-

-

-

.

-

-

-

- -

-

- -

Relationship Fundraising: A Donor-based Approach to the Business of

Raising Money

In Relationship Fundraising, the classic read for all fundraisers,

Ken Burnett takes us carefully through the fundamentals of

good fundraising.

Ken reminds us that a unique relationship exists between

donors and the causes they support, and shows us how to

preserve and develop that relationship. He advocates main-

taining the intimacy of the one-to-one relationship between

donor and cause. ‘Fundraising is not about money. It’s about nec-

essary work that urgently needs doing. It’s not about asking people to

give – it’s about inspiring them to give. The money is just a means to

an end.’

The keystone to enabling this relationship across large numbers of donors is management of the data-

base. Ken advises how to use it creatively to make our communications less like impersonal junk mail

and more like correspondence from a friend. ‘Donors know blatant commercialism when they see it. They may

tolerate it but they don’t like it. They know when they’re being written to by a marketing machine. Consider what a dif-

ference it would make for the donor to receive a letter from someone they like. Your organization should be that someone.’

‘We (fundraisers) have the best stories in the world to tell – real drama, urgent needs, touching human interest, life and

death issues. Is a free plastic pen really the best inspiration we can offer to coax a potential new supporter?’

It costs more to recruit new donors than to retain existing donors, but that doesn’t stop nonprofits

from spending much more on acquisition than on retention. In relationship fundraising, every com-

munication is answered quickly, sincerely, and effectively, and every donation acknowledged. If donors

know they are important, valued, and considered, they give more in the long term.

Relationship fundraising is a long-term activity but the increasing transience of fundraisers has created

short-term thinking – if you’re only in a job for 18 months you need to make a quick impact. Short-

term gain, however, can be long-term suicide. Many donors are losing faith in charities thanks to the

“W

hen

fu

nd

rais

ing

gets

it

rig

ht,

peo

ple

reall

y a

re p

rep

are

d t

o b

eli

eve

we c

an

mak

e t

he w

orl

d a

bett

er

pla

ce.”

.

impersonal mass-marketing approach to fundraising but, as Ken points out, ‘when fundraising gets it right, people really

are prepared to believe we can make the world a better place.’

Relationship Fundraising moves through the various

areas of fundraising touching on techniques and broader

issues, drawing on opinions and quotes from leading

experts. Each level of the donor pyramid is covered.

The pyramid itself becomes a trapezoid then a wedge, to

usefully demonstrate elements of donor financial value.

A chapter is devoted to bequest marketing which high-

lights its vast untapped potential and includes detailed

advice about existing and new approaches, creativity,

and even plagiarism. Observations about major gift

fundraising include my favourite quote about the tech-

nique, ‘The really difficult part in big gift fundraising is not in

getting people to give money, it is in getting people to ask.’

Experienced fundraisers learn over time an extremely

useful list of things not to do. It is rare to see such a list

included in a book. Relationship Fundraising, however, in-

cludes a chapter about avoiding common errors and pit-

falls. Like the other chapters it includes confident direct

opinions based solidly on the author’s vast experi-

ence, ‘The majority of nonprofit publications fail because they are

dull.’

There is significant pressure today for fundraisers to grow income rapidly. This has led in many cases to rapidly

increasing costs of fundraising, lower response rates, and heightened donor attrition. However, providing the cause

actually needs the money, it is still possible to grow income rapidly, at a reasonable cost, retaining donor loyalty

along the way. A few excellent fundraisers continually demonstrate this. It is my experience that these few excellent

fundraisers are in every case following the principles set out so clearly in Relationship Fundraising.

Inspiring, enlightening, and thought provoking, Relationship Fundraising is packed with useful information for fund-

raisers at every level. It is one of the few serious full length textbooks interesting enough to be read at one stretch.

It is also structured in such a way that it can be consulted for specific guidance on a particular subject, or at ran-

dom for general good advice. The helpful action points at the end of each chapter can be used to sum-up as you

are reading, or to revisit in future.

Sprinkled with unforgettable anecdotes such as the Calcutta beggars who shared what little they had with newly

arrived refugees, Relationship Fundraising is a book that provides fundraisers with detailed technical guidance while

never losing sight of the underlying fundamentals without which fundraising can never succeed.

“Inspiring, enlightening, and

thought provoking, Relationship

Fundraising is packed with

useful information for fundraisers

at every level. It is one of the

few serious full length textbooks

interesting enough to be read

at one stretch.”

-

-

-

- -

-

By Alexandra Woodruff, National Council of Nonprofits Summer Fellow

Originally Published by the National Council of Nonprofits in Knowledge Matters

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

.

- -

-

!

.

-

-

-

- -

- -

- - -

- - -

Join us for our signature luncheon and make a

big impact!

FIND OUT HOW AT: http://www.womensfoundationarkansas.org/

For 16 years the WFA has sustained the idea that improving the

lives of women and girls in Arkansas ultimately improves the

health and wealth of our families and communities as a whole.

-

-

-

.

-

-

-

.

-

-

-

-

D an is the author of The Nonprofit

Narrative: How Stories Can Save the World. He loves helping passionate

people strive for the impossible and on several occasions he’s seen it happen.

For over a decade, Dan has worked with the toughest outposts of Fortune 500 com-

panies to get them back on track and with big results. He is sought after to help flesh

out business ideas, coach teams and lead senior staff through the digital age.

In 2006, he started The Portnoy Media Group to help nonprofits, companies and or-

ganizations better tell their stories for impact and engagement. His communication

strategies have helped multiple nonprofit organizations double their online donations

year over year and raise millions. Dan’s cultivation of story ideas builds community,

engages the free radicals and removes the barriers between traditional cultivation and

acquisition. He’s an award winning filmmaker and has been featured on NPR, Huff-

Post Live and Fox Business.

Mission Marketing Keynote Story Teller :

.

-

-

O V E R V I E W

- - - - -

-

- - - - -

- -

.

-

Find out more at: http://www.webster.edu/littlerock/

.

-

-

- - -

-

-

.

-

--

-

-

- - - - -