By Sharon Danosky

Any of you who have worked with me or heard me talk know how much emphasis I put on building donor relationships, not building relationships has been one of the primary reasons that donor retention has dropped so dramatically in the past 10+ years.

Building relationships has also been one of the reasons that philanthropy grew during this pandemic – because nonprofits were reaching out to the donors and having frank, authentic conversations. Donors welcomed it and gave generously. An article in the NewYork Times just validated this, as did a new report by the Leadership Story Lab, called “Transforming Partnerships with Major Donors.”