Focusing on building strong donor relationships is key to successful nonprofit fundraising. To improve your nonprofit organization, implement effective fundraising strategies and follow essential fundraising tips. Strong nonprofit strategies lead to better donor relationships and overall success.
In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, host Rob Burke sits down with fundraising consultant Kel Haney—who’s made 20,000+ fundraising calls and helped raise $16M—to unpack a realistic, phone-first strategy for mid-level donors, Giving Tuesday, and year-end fundraising. We dig into segmentation, CRM hygiene, burnout prevention, voicemail tactics, and Kel’s 5-minute ask framework (no scripts, just a simple tent-pole structure). If you’re a nonprofit leader or fundraiser looking to boost donor retention and drive major results from mid-level gifts, this is your playbook.
What you’ll learn:
• How to define and prioritize mid-level donors ($1k–$10k) with their own strategy
• The 5-minute phone call structure: opening, main event, specific ask, wrap-up
• Why matches are magic (1:1 for year-end, 2:1 for Giving Tuesday)
• Segmenting by behavior and channel preference using your CRM
• The voicemail + follow-up email tactic that landed an $18k gift
• Burnout-smart planning and realistic goals for November–December
