--- title: "Thursday Buzz: Keep Donors Donating" id: "39894" type: "post" slug: "thursday-buzz-keep-donors-donating" published_at: "2017-09-28T22:37:07+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T20:26:57+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/09/28/thursday-buzz-keep-donors-donating/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/09/28/thursday-buzz-keep-donors-donating.md" excerpt: "Care2 shares several ways to keep your donors coming back year after year. Also: Looking to hire a communications pro? Here's how to analyze a writing sample." taxonomy_category: - "Fundraising" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "donor retention" - "Fundraising" - "nonprofit" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Thursday Buzz: Keep Donors Donating As we race toward the end of the fundraising year, there are still plenty of opportunities to reach donors who gave last year but haven’t yet this year. “Prioritize your returning donors based on their lifetime value,” says Marisa Taylor in a [blog post for Care2 (opens in a new tab)](http://www.care2services.com/care2blog/dynamite-donor-retention) . “This will help you determine who will receive more personal outreach from your team.” Taylor recommends a few tips for any donor retention effort, including setting goals for return donors. Are you tracking those goals as the year progresses? Try displaying your retention rates where your team can see them. “You’ll know if you need to make adjustments or changes to your plan if you are tracking along the way.” Taylor also suggests making your donors feel appreciated by sending thank-you cards before asking them to give again. You should also be strategic about ask amounts. If you ask too little, you may not hit your goals; too much, and donors may not give at all. ### Finding a Writer https://twitter.com/UpAbility/status/913372449206611970 **Good writing is vitally important to any association.** From newsletters to email marketing messages, communicating clearly and persuasively is key to any success metric that an organization may have. But hiring managers aren’t always the best judges of this specific and important skill. What should hiring managers look for in writing samples? The [Indiana Society of Association Executives (opens in a new tab)](http://info.isae.org/blog/hiring-a-strong-writer) shares a few writing tips to help hiring managers pick the right person. When looking at a candidate’s writing, make sure he or she avoids redundancies such as overusing the word “also” in statements that begin with “in addition,” “additionally,” or “furthermore.” And don’t forget to check for accurate “who” and “that” pronoun usage. ### Other Links of Note **Are your meetings with your remote workers inefficient?** *Beth’s Blog* shares some best [practices for virtual meetings (opens in a new tab)](http://www.bethkanter.org/virtual-meeting-best-practices/) . **According to a new study**, American business travelers are becoming more comfortable with artificial intelligence and think it will improve their travel experience, [reports Forbes (opens in a new tab)](https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielreed/2017/09/27/u-s-business-travelers-are-slowing-growing-more-comfortable-with-an-ai-vr-driven-future/#5ee3f33f32df) . **Leadership advice from Bill Gates.** Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella shares the [best advice (opens in a new tab)](https://www.inc.com/zoe-henry/satya-nadella-best-advice-from-bill-gates.html) the company’s founder ever gave him, reports *Inc.* (MicroStockHub/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#donor retention](https://associationsnow.com/tag/donor-retention/) [#Fundraising](https://associationsnow.com/tag/fundraising/) [#nonprofit](https://associationsnow.com/tag/nonprofit/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [Video2025 Summit Award Recipient: Florida Association of Free and Charitable ClinicsOctober 3, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/10/03/2025-summit-award-recipient-florida-association-of-free-and-charitable-clinics/) - [Video2025 Summit Award Recipient: Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Los AngelesOctober 3, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/10/03/2025-summit-award-recipient-building-owners-and-managers-association-of-greater-los-angeles/) - [VideoA Donor First Look, “Unlocking Legacy: Estate Planning Essentials for Association ProfessionalsJanuary 7, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/01/07/a-donor-first-look-unlocking-legacy-estate-planning-essentials-for-association-professionals/) - [VideoWhy We Donate to ASAE Research FoundationNovember 30, 2023](https://associationsnow.com/2023/11/30/why-we-donate-to-asae-research-foundation/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F09%2F28%2Fthursday-buzz-keep-donors-donating%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !