Episode #200
Today, you’ll hear from three donors.
Leading up to this episode, viewers submitted questions for me to ask donors. Today’s episode features the donors answering three of the top questions that were submitted. The questions are:
- What motivates you to give?
- How has the economy changed your donation patterns?
- Of all the ways you’ve been thanked, what was your favorite?
And the donors are:
- Ellen Ferguson – she’s been a very generous donor here in Seattle. Interestingly, she used to be a development officer before she became a philanthropist.
- Mike James – is a Veteran broadcast journalist and is now retired.
- Craig Stewart – is a trustee and the President of the Apex/Bruce & Jolene McCaw Family Foundation.
This video was filmed during the downturn of the economy in 2009.
Because these donors gave up about 2 or more hours of their time to answer your questions, would you mind thanking them in the comment section below the video? Thanks!
For your own free subscription to Movie Mondays, click here.
Please post a comment thanking the donors for taking time out of their busy schedules to answer your questions. Thank you! Chris
Thank you all so much for your time and your well-considered thoughts. I took notes!
Kudos to each of you for making time for this. It was extremely valuable to hear your experiences and perspectives, and I will take them into account as I work on our organization’s stewardship program!
Thank you so very much for sharing your time and for your candid responses. Your thoughts will be so helpful as we grow!
Ellen, Mike and Craig,
Many thanks for sharing your insight! I appreicate hearing from you!
Janet Gauss Lyons
Stewardship Manager
Stetson University
421 N. Woodland Blvd., Unit 8286
DeLand, Florida 32723
Thank you for taking the time to share why you give!
How refreshing to be reminded that it’s the little things that mean the most in a relationship. Thank you all for your time and reflections!
Thank you so much Ellen, Craig and Mike – I am still very green to development and welcome your thoughts and feedback. We appreciate your time.
Thank you Ellen, Mike, and Craig, for taking the time to remind me that stewardship is personal. Each donor deserves the special consideration that enables that warmth of our gratitude to come through.
Inspirational! Thank you for your generosity–personally and professionally!
These comments are insightful and helpful. Thank you to the donors who shared their thoughts as well as their time with us so we can in turn do better jobs in our roles.
Thank you all for your time and commitment to helping non-profits. Great information – in particular about receiving thanks. I will remember how important those personal thank you’s are!
Wonderful insights into the world of the donor. Thank you!
Thank you for bringing all this donors as community, its wonderful, it is honor to listen from them. I than God for their life and commitment, Glory to God.
I call it divine connection to be listening such inspiration on th walk of lfe of learning organizations,
thank you,
Pastor. Stephen M. mwangi,
Conquest For Christ church.and School Of Ministry,
Nairobi Kenya.
Thanks for the time and all the comments. As a co-pres. for a not-for-profit organization, many things heard resonated. It surely seems to come down to passion and making a difference in the long run. And, I believe the personal touch so important even in this day of internet only modes of communication.
This is one of the most beautiful resource development capacity building videos I have ever seen! I felt that each donor was genuine in sharing their way of thinking and reached down to share with us their truth.
Ellen, thank you for the story about your father.
Mike, thank you for helping me understand individual giving.
Craig, thank you for providing an insight on how giving decisions are made.
Thank you all for driving home the point of the importance of the simplist most personal connection of the phone call and the handwritten note.
Sincerely,
Maria
Thank you all for a wonderful video and for sharing your insights, thoughts, and experiences. It is truly appreciated and great to hear such valuable opinions!
Thank you all for your time and insightful answers. It is always helpful to hear about giving decisions and effective stewardship tactics.
Thank you so much for taking the time to provide such valuable and invaluable thoughts and advice. Truly substantive, real-world stuff. Appreciate it!
I am so delighted to hear from these donors. Thank you! I have shared this video with my clients so they can hear what it means to be donor centered in their approach and stewardship efforts.
Thanks for taking the time to thoughtfully answer the 3 questions. I appreciate your sharing of your insights and viewpoints.
Every Monday I like to start my week by listening to the video. I am the Volunteer President of a small nonprofit with major responsibility for fundraising. At times I am overwhelmed. But listening to you all today–gives me spirit to pick up the cross and carry on. Thanks for being an angel to me.
Ms. Ferguson, Mr. James and Mr. Stewart,
Thank you for giving of your time to share your responses to these questions. Your answers remind us that no matter what, we are in the business of personal, one-on-one relationships and that there is no better way to use our time than to make sure each donor feels appreciated to the best of our ability to do so.
What wonderful, reflective, heartfelt responses to these essential questions! Thank you for sharing and giving us insight into what goes into giving.
Thank you, Chris, for putting this together. What a wealth of information in those 13 minutes! I appreciate each of the donors taking the time to give thoughtful, personal answers that are very useful.
Thank you for your time and thoughtful responses. The world is a better place because of people like you!
Dear Ellen, Mike and Craig,
Thank you ever so much for taking the time to share your experiences and wisdom with us. I thought we were doing very well with personalizing our thank-you’s, but you have set the bar high; we’ll have a staff confab about staff thank-you notes.
Carol
I really enjoyed listening to this video and intend to forward it to coworkers. It reinforces the importance of ensuring that donors are a good match (have the same values and interests) and that the appeal touches their hearts. The donors interviewed confirmed the significance of building relationships, the worth of a personal touch (handwritten letters and/or telephone calls), and the importance of being good stewards (i.e. not everyone wants their money used for plaques).
To the donors who took the time to make this video, thank you for the time you spent with us, and especially thank you for your contributions to our community through your donations and grants. Most of us will not be direct recipients of your funding, but we still all benefit as the Puget Sound area is strengthened through the nonprofits you support.
Thank you for sharing your hearts with us! It gives an insight into the why, how, who, and what you give to and how the causes fits into your passions. It shows it is important to discover the passions and where our donors are in their giving.
Thank you so very much for your time and thoughtful responses. I wholeheartedly agree with you about the personal touch when it comes to truly expressing thanks. I, too, intend to send it on to co-workers to hear, be encouraged by and perhaps challenged a bit. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to these items for non-profits. Your comments has given me a lot of knowledge and I will respect your comments and give them great priority as I use them.
David Barrett
Thanks so much for sharing, and for all the good work you have done. Your thoughts will help us to meaningfully thank other generous donors, which is such an important part of our work. I am going to plan more thank you calls!
Having just been promoted to the position of Assistant Director of Development, I’ve been involved in discussion with our Executive Director about ways to thank our donors that will stand out. Hearing your comments has not only fortified our ideas of personal notes to donors, they also gave us new ideas to add. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I greatly appreciate your time and comments.
Ellen Ferguson, Mike James and Craig Stewart,
Hearing your individual answers to the questions posed to you was extremely helpful in my ongoing efforts to approach donors in my church. I greatly appreciate your honest and straightforward answers. Many people have difficulty talking about money, but your individual and foundation consciousness of prosperity and giving allow you such an ease in this area. Your attitudes about this topic gives me more confidence in the way I’ll be approaching some of our members.
Thank you!
Terry Drew Karanen
Thank you!! I especially like the individual answers to how each of you prefer to be thanked. I will share this with my fellow board members.
Thanks for helping us better understand a donor’s perspective!
This was great. Thank you so much for giving your time and feedback, and thanks for your generosity to the communities you care about. Best wishes.
Wow! What a wonderfully meaningful set of questions and responses! Thank you to Ellen, Mike & Craig for taking the time to share your thoughts and perspectives – – I hope to apply some of them to our work in healthcare fundraising, just south of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. And thanks as well for being philanthropic leaders!
Chelsea
Thank you for taking your time to provides answers to these 3 important questions. As a board member of an animal welfare/rescue organization in NE Louisiana, it was very interesting to hear your thoughts on these topics from the donor side of non-profit fund raising. We work very hard to raise funds for all of our programs to help the shelter animals here in the South. Between the economy and the mindset of many people in the Southern United States, animal welfare has taken quite a beating. We will definitely keep your comments in mind in the future! Thank you, again!
Nina Bennett, Secretary
PAWS of NE Louisiana, Inc.
http://www.pawsnela.org
Chris, this week’s video was great. It is good to hear from people who give as it brings us back to the value of relationships.
Thank you for reminding us that it is always the personal touch that motivates us into action. As fundraising professionals it is important that we don’t get caught up in the newest trends or fad, but to remember “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
As a donor your splash causes a ripple that reaches further than we are often able to see.
Thank you for your time, wisdom and generousity!
Thank you all for taking time to share your answers to these three questions. It’s nice to hear your personal thoughts and feelings. And your responses provide good insight into how to best interact with donors. You are appreciated!
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on these questions with us. It is always great to hear different perspectives from donors.
Thank you for the support you give those organizations you are passionate about. Donors are the ones who make things happen, and I’m sure each one you support is grateful for all you do, just as I’m always grateful for each of our donors.
Thank you for your insights!
Becky Ries, Executive Director
Valley County Health Sytem Foundation
I appreciated hearing from actual funders since it was a reminder that grants are read by and reacted to by people, not some monolithic foundation.
Hello,
Thanks so much to all of you for taking the thought and time to answer those three questions.
As one who is involved with training new gift officers, I will put your vidoes to good use.
Again, thanks for your willingness to help our profession.
Betty
Thank you all for taking the time to answer these questions. I will be sharing this video with the Fundraising Committee which I will be leading. In my research and preparation for this task, I discovered that we have a poor history of thanking donors effectively. I hope to change that into gracious gratitude.
Thank you for giving me a starting point with my committee.
Thanks so much for the reminder that there has to be a match between the donor’s passion and your organization. I really appreciated the answer about personal thank yous.
Hi Ellen, Mike and Craig. Today, because of you, I learned some new things and had other practices reinforced. Thank you very much for taking the time to share your wisdom with me.
I just wanted to take a minute to thank the three of you for the time and the insight you shared. It is always good to look at the everyday things we encounter in the development world with a fresh set of eyes. I always come away with information that will hopefully help me do a better job in guiding donors toward making their lives and our world a better place.
Sincere thanks for taking the time to pass along this very valuable insight.
Thank you so much. It is so helpful to have input from contributors. Stewardship is so important. It is a good reminder to keep it real and personal. Again, thanks.
Ellen, Craig, and Mike,
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. Your responses were so helpful. I especially liked the section on thanking donors. Your insight is greatly appreciated!
Megan
Craig, Ellen and Mike,
Thank you for reminding us, whether we be a development officer, board member, staff member or consultant, that being donor-centered is what our work is all about.
Getting to know our donors as real people and helping to connect their passion with opportunities that reflect their unique purpose is the best way to serve them and our community. I appreciate the emphasis on how personal thank yous really stand out. This is an important message for non profits’ board and staff to reflect on.
And Chris thank you for another good episode of Movie Mondays!
Ellen, Mike and Craig,
When a gift is given we have an opportunity to give something too – authentic gratitude. Thank you for reminding us that philanthropy really works when it is a joyful exchange.
Jeri
Thank you all so much for answering these very important questions. I was interested in the response to the thank you; what touches you and has meaning. It is a challenge to make it right for everyone, but obviously the personal touch has an impact.
Dear Ms. Ferguson, Mr. James, and Mr. Stewart,
For close to a year, I have started my work week by watching the newest addition to the Movie Monday library. While the videos often remind me not to forget the fundamentals of development, I have also gotten some new ideas that I’ve incorporated into my work. Today’s Movie offered me a little bit of both.
Thank you for taking the time to share your insights with the community of individuals who “tune in” regularly. I plan to share this video with many of my friends and colleagues. I believe they will benefit from your words too.
Sincerely,
Tee Williams
Thank you for the great reminders that the personal touches count. I will be sharing this video with my colleagues.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for your powerful insights. The thoughts about personal thank you’s were very helpful.
Thank you for your comments. They were very useful and will help in future campaigns.
Ellen, Mike and Craig, thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences with the rest of us – your insights are greatly appreciated!
Chris, thanks for volunteering your time as well – I know you’ve volunteered many hours to create these great videos. Congrats on reaching 200!
Appreciate you being so candid – and kind in your responses! Each of your answers are such a help – to learn, and apply!
Ellen, Mike and Craig,
Your reflections on meaningful thank yous struck a chord. I’ll be sharing your responses with my board. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with all of us. And thanks to Chris for more inspiring interviews!
Joan
Thank you Ellen, Mike and Craig – we all appreciate your candor, insight and perspectives. Chris – thank you for pulling this together, this week and every week!
Many thanks for taking your time to provide us with thoughtful examples of ways in which to remember our donors in the course of our work. It was good to affirm what we are already doing, but more to see what we could improve and build upon using your suggestions. Thanks so much to you and to Movie Mondays too!
I am a follower of Movie Mondays and appreciate the work Christopher is doing.
Kudos on consolidating our questions and getting the practical and candid responses from Ellen, Mike, and Craig. Much appreciated!
Wow! Thanks for the reminders that simplicity matters.
Thank you for sharing your insights with us! What a great reminder that no matter how technology-driven our lives become, we still need to make a point to keep relationships and our communications with donors personal.
Appreciate you taking time to help reinforce these points and to encourage!
..had to share the link, etc. on my Facebook page….
a personal connection definitely makes the difference.
A BIG Thx to each of the donors for their insights.
Way to go, Chris Davenport w/501Videos – Movie Mondays
Ellen, Mike and Craig –
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and feelings with all of us. In the never-ending struggle to seek funding to keep all of our programs active and achieving our varied missions, as we serve the people, it is also always about the people who inspire, educate, and vitalize all of us in what we are so passionately involved in. The funding you have provided is important, but equally important is your feedback. Thanks for your thoughts and ideas, but also for the re-inspiration I needed today!
Thanks for sharing your experiences with giving! I especially like the reminder to include personal notes in our donor acknowledgements.
I especially appreciated hearing about what kind of “thank you” was effective. Just like I like it myself, the hand-written note or phone call is best!
Thank you for giving us your time and insight!
In this day and age of social media and online fundraising, it’s great to get a reminder to never forget the basic blocking and tackling driving philanthropy.
Thanks to all… it really meant a lot!
How many ways are there to say thank you? As you all so eloquently say, any way that contains a personal touch. Thank you for reminding us that donors are people -people who enjoy sharing, people who live in the real economic world, and people who deserve to be thanked sincerely. Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing your insights and ideas- Your encouragement and direction have helped me immeasurably in moving our development efforts forward.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences — all of us will benefit!
Wow! So good to hear from these amazing folks! Thank you, thank you, thank you! What you give really matters…and what our donors give really matters…and you have given us relevant information to thank and honor the gifts!
I’m an artist and volunteer with the Frank Bette Center for the Arts in Alameda, CA. Thank you for your personal words of reassurance and encouragement If I had your phone #, I’d call you to say thanks!
Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us!
As both a board member and a fund raiser for different organizations, I appreciate your thoughtful and timely responses to the three questions, especially the last one about memorable thank-yous.
Your generosity of time and perspective is invaluable.
Thank you.
Thank you Ellen, Mike and Craig for reminding us about the importance of the personal touch and building relationships. Thanks too to Chris for bringing us these key points in small bites that are easy to fit into our work. They really help to stay focused and motivated.
Thank you all….Chris, for the great questions and esp. Elllen, Mike and Craig for your time to share the wisdom of your combined experiences on such an important subject.
I can only hope that based on all of these heartfelt comments that you fully understand the value you have added to the lives of all of us Movie Mondays readers.
Laus Deo!
TSOLIG,
G.
The Smith Family Foundation
The Secret of Living is Giving
Gale E. Smith
224 W. Liberty St.
Cincinnati, OH
US 45202
513.225.3767 mobile
Gale@SmithFamilyFoundation.Org
http://www.SmithFamilyFoundation.Org
Thank You for taking time out of busy schedules to sit down and speak so clearly and from the heart about giving and recieving. A personal thank you is always an appreciated form of communication and one that the computer revolution has clouded. Let’s hope the art of writing a real thank you is never lost. I believe it is one of the most import things to teach young people.
Carolyn Stearns
Connecticut Storytelling Center’
Board of Directors
Thank you for taking the time to answer those important questions. It’s people like you who make such a difference in our world and we thank you for sharing what motivates you. You proved to me that relationship is everything. I wish you and the organisations you support all the very best in the future. Trish Roath Head of Philanthropy The Australian Ballet School, Melbourne
Thank you for taking the time to address the questions that every development person wants to know the answers to. Your remarks were obviously from your hearts as well as concise and actionable. Thank you.
Thank you all very much for your insights, opinions, and for sharing your experiences. You make the world a better place and are helping others to do the same!
What a gift the three of you have given all of us who have listened to you! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences! I am grateful.
Thank you for your thought-provoking comments about personalizing our relationships with our donors. To often we ask without knowing that our project is one that resonnates with them, or we thank them without including that extra bit that shows their gift made a difference in a way that matters not just to us, but is meaningful to them. I appreciate your reminders.
This is some of the best advice I have heard in a really long time. So relevant, so personal. Thank you!
thank you so much for taking a moment to share your unique and valuable perspectives on giving.
Thank you so very much for taking the time to give such thoughtful, heartfelt answers. I really appreciate your insights.
Wendy Baird
Ellen, Mike, & Craig: It is quite refreshing to hear from donors that you, too, are simply human. Your gifts are ones that touch you personally or have meaning within your organization and isn’t that why we all get involved in some way?
Our small community has really been affected by the economy, but our Hospice is kept in very high regard and we are so thankful for the many supporters that continue
to rally together for our cause.
Thank you for confirming that the personal, hand written, notes still stand out as your favorites. In our high tech society, it’s the small things that still mean the most.
Blessings to you all for a strong finish to this 2012 year.
Respectfully, Kay
Thank you, Ellen, Mike, Craig and Chris! Your generosity keeps on giving in so many ways!
Dear Ellen, Mike & Craig,
How wonderful to hear your thoughts and have you share your knowledge with the nonprofit sector. I have just moved into a Major Gifts role from years of doing stewardship work. Having you share your insight on what motivates you to give is very helpful.
I hope you take the time to read some of the responses from the viewers as I did. Your words have clearly resonated with fundraisers from all across the USA and including Australia and Canada!
Thank you for giving your time to share. Chris, once again…brilliant!
Diane Westlake
Hospice Calgary
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
http://www.hospicecalgary.com
How refreshing…you are philanthropists through and through. You support your individual passions and spread your wealth by sharing with all of us. Thank you so much.
Thank you. Your insight is helpful to me as I pursue my passion serviing people with disabilites.
Thanks for the great thoughts and comments on donations.
Thank you so much for doing this. I found it be very helpful.
Ellen, Mike and Craig (and Chris Davenport) — In this season of caring and sharing – when many nonprofits receive extraordinary gifts, it is special to hear from donors about why they give and what is meaningful to them. Thank you so much for sharing the gift of your thoughts.
It’s Christmas Eve . . . and I’m in the office writing personal notes on our “official” tax letter. The letters themselves are personalized depending on how well we know the donor and what their gift is for — and then I hand-write a note on every single letter — and fold it so that the note shows as the envelope is opened. I AM THRILLED to know that those notes really are appreciated! Actually, it is a great pleasure for me to use my favorite fountain pen and think of something special to say! While those of us on staff do make calls for the major gifts that arrive, we’ve involving the Board in that process as well. It’s amazing what a call from a Board member means to the donor — and what it means to the Board member who makes the call!! I was glad to hear the calls mentioned as a “special way” to say thank you.
With a grateful heart to all of you who have shared —
Pam Montgomery
Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley
Thank you so much for sharing! I particularly appreciated the last section. Those are some lovely ideas for a more personal way to thank donors, I will be taking your stories to my next meeting.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful insights! What a wonderful gift you have given us.
Chris,
I just signed up for “Movie Mondays” thinking it could be a help as we begin to develop our fund raising strategy for 2013 and beyond. I would like to thank Ellen, Mike & Craig for their insights and their obvious generosity of both time and talent!!
The Hospice organization I work for is facing Medicare cuts, and an increasingly complex medical system, at the same time we are caring for more and more patients, and their families, at a very difficult time in their lives. The level of care we provide has such a trememdous impact on the families we serve, that every possible suggestion we can find on how to increase our revenues in these difficult times, will make a profound difference in their lives. Thanks for some excellent insights.
I am getting on the phone right now to call some very special donors and thank them for their support.
Jacquie Chappell-Reid
Director of Major Gifts
Chris:
First of all thank you so much for the work you are doing in the Not-for-Profit world. I am very new to this world and your videos have been a huge help to me. They are clear, concise and provide insights from people who have “been there”. I feel like I am a better Director because of what you provide.
To Ellen, Mike and Craig; thank you for providing your wisdom and expertise to the fundraising community. When I first started looking at writing grants, the grantors were this huge unknown. You have shown me that they are people just like me who want the grantees to suceed. Thank you for making the process more human.
It all comes back to relationship with the people in our communtiy and passion for what we do.
All the best,
Leigh Finner
Executive Director
New Smyrna Museum of History
Dear Ellen, Mike, and Craig,
I truly appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us. Ever since my children learned how to read and write, I’ve had them send personalized thank you notes to the people who send them holiday and birthday gifts. Just as you all stated, it’s so nice to have your gift acknowledged and not have to wait until the check clears to know that it was received. The wonderful habit of sending thank you notes has made my children the most fantastic kids in the eyes of family and friends, as it is truly a vanishing act of gratitude. And surely, the habit also makes me a good advancement director. 🙂 Thanks again!
Suzanna Langowski
National Cave and Karst Research Institute
Dear Ellen, Mike, and Craig,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate your time!
Best,
Molly
Molly Severtson
Director of Major Gifts
Montana Environmental Information Center
Thank you for taking the time to let us into your thoughts as donors. I found this video to be very helpful!
Ellen, Mike, and Craig, Thank you for stepping forward in this way. I enjoyed your honest, positive feedback to all of us in this profession who have the privilege of working with people like you.
Nancy Keeler
Director of Development
Allentown Symphony Association
This week, I have asked board members to come and make thank you calls. This organization has not done this. I have made it a priority to do, though I have some naysayers who believe it is not the best use of time. I disagree, and have decided that letting them experience this themselves may be the first step to getting them to understand the power of a sincere, personal, thank you call. I think I can use part of this video as they prepare to make their calls. Thanks!
Thank you so much for your very personal reflections on the most meaningful ways you have been thanked. I will sure take that to heart.
Chris, this is one of the best posts I’ve seen of late. I have found, sadly, that many development staff are afraid to listening to their donors or believe they know better than their donors. More of us should sit down and get donor feedback on all aspects of our activities…we might just learn something. Thanks for re-posting this Monday Movies. I especially like the panel’s thoughts on the thank you. My goal has always been to have all my pens run out of ink, my hand be sore from writing personal notes, and my voice hoarse from making phone calls to personally thank our donors. It makes a difference and makes the donor feel special.
great video, thank you for sharing such important information.
Thank you so much for sharing with us I had been considering starting to use thank you cards this has made up my mind on that : D
Your thoughts and observations meant quite a lot to me. Thank you for taking time from your busy lives to help us improve what we do. Your helping us is helping us help others. Thank you!
Thank you so very much! I appreciate the insight!
Ellen, Craig, Mike Thank you for sharing your insight as a donor. It is always wonderful to get a deeper understanding of what moves people towards their philanthropy.
As a fairly new resource development coordinator, good input is always helpful in establishing a workable program…thank you for candid and open information! I can “see” how the personal aspect of this arena works and where I need to focus for success. Thank you!
That was so helpful! and reassuring that all the time I spend thanking donors is not a waste. NO PLAQUES!
Ellen, Mike and Craig, thank you for giving back yet again by giving us your observations. This was so helpful. Thank you for giving us your time and very helpful insights.
What great reminders from you who give from the heart, and know what it means to you to also be thanked with the same passion and true feelings.
Thank you Ellen, Mike and Craig, for sharing your time and thoughts. I always share this type of feedback with my superiors so we can be reminded of why we are here – to connect our donors with their passions at the hospital – and that while we know we are grateful to them, we must tell them that! Thank you!
Ellen, Mike and Craig,
Your generous heart for others and your generosity with your time for me was greatly appreciated! As I listened to each of you share your thoughts, I was struck with the simplicity of the message….know your donors and know how they like to receive communication/thanks. Keep up the good work inspiring others. Many thanks and blessings.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us. A great reminder to keep it personal and from the heart.
Insightful and informative post! Thank you to the volunteers for sharing their answers to the three questions; thank you to the production team for editing and putting this piece together….I know how much time you’ve invested in this (read: considerable); thank you for continuing to provide guidance to the nonprofit world in the fundraising arena.
Wow! It is so good to ‘hear’ this information from donors! We read it and see it in statistics and such, but to hear it, powerful! Thank you for the time each of you took to let ‘us’ know, the organizations that really want to make a difference in our world. Very valuable information.
Thank you for your time and sharing how we, as fundraisers and nonprofit organizations, can best share our gratitude with donors like yourselves.
LOVED THIS! The voice, perspective, and opinion of the donor is SO VERY helpful! I love that “passion” and “emotion” still are important to donors. I also appreciate the thoughtful approach that each of these individuals take when considering their desired impacts and their gifts. Thank you Ellen, Mike, and Craig very much for your time! Thanks to Chris for bringing such an uplifting movie to my office every Monday morning!
I really appreciated the comments and reflections of these seasoned donors. As I lead a capital campaign presently for Project Joy and Hope, I soaked in all these ideas and compared to see how we are responding to our own donors. Very insightful and well chosen words of advice! Thank you very much!
Thankyou from Australia!
As a very small not for profit partnering kids in trauma with community development artists we are only just starting to develop a donor program – in a culture where individual giving is pretty limited. Your insights are so valuable, and affirm the relationship-centred approach we take to all our work, our professional and funding partners – and our kids.
It is so nice to see your faces and hear your voices.
You guys rock! As do you Chris
Andrea Lemon – CEO/Creative Director
Kids Thrive
Thank you very much for giving your time so that we can do better by our donors. I picked up a few gems of advice and our donors will benefit from your wisdom and sharing. Thank you again.
3 of my favorite people. Thank you to each of you!
Ellen, Mike & Craig,
Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to the questions of Development Directors from every corner. Your insight is much appreciated.
Thank you Ellen, Mike and Craig. This is so insightful for myself and our GlobalOutreachDoctors.org team!
Thank you to all involved in the making of the video! What was said really hit home. I look forward to encouraging my team watch and be equally inspired.
These insights are invaluable to me in my work as Development Director–thank you all for sharing your responses to these essential questions!
your comments and insights are very helpful and I thank you for sharing with those of us working to make a better world. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and my pocketbook.
Wonderful feedback! Thank you so much for your time and your comments.
Thank you for sharing your time and motivation, and for being donors!
Well thought out answers. Thank you for your valuable feedback.
Thank you! What a gift you give us small organizations that cannot afford, and have trouble making the time, or consultants and development conferences. I have learned a lot from these Movie Mondays and have shared them with others on a number of occasions. I appreciate what you are doing for CYFM!