I like fundraising events. I’ve managed (literally) hundreds of them during my fundraising career, from $500,000 galas to $10,000 hosted events and everything in between. Heck, I’ve even written a …
The tactical strategy for your fundraising should not be random, and it shouldn’t be based on a “we’ll figure this out as we go along” mentality. Your best bet to …
Recently, I’ve encountered a phenomenon among development staffs and non-profit executive directors that seems to effect organizations both large and small. It causes non-profits to raise less money than they …
Welcome to the third and final article in our three-part series on year-end fundraising. In our first post, we took a look at why so many donors give during the …
The end of the calendar year can (and should) be a bonanza for non-profit organizations looking to raised small and medium-sized gifts to round out their fundraising numbers. Whether your …
Last week, we started a three article series on year-end fundraising. The first part described why donors give during the year-end giving season. In this post, I want to talk …
We all know how important the final 4-6 weeks of the calendar year are for non-profit fundraising. According to Charity Navigator, mid-sized non-profits may see up to 40% of their …
How serious is your non-profit about your fundraising efforts? Depending on the size of your organization, here are some things to think about: For Small Non-Profits… If you run a …
Most development offices are resource-starved. They don’t have the money or manpower to do everything they want to do, so they have to make choices about where to focus their …
Every non-profit fundraiser is different. We each have different strengths and weaknesses, and we each have our preferred strategies and tactics. And that’s ok – every non-profit is different, each …
As non-profit fundraisers, we are often focused on the urgency of our front-line activities… We need new prospects. Now! Our organization has to raise $10,000 more. This week! I promised …
During presentations to non-profit groups, I often talk about the “2-Ask Process.” This is my concept that for every prospect you have at your organization, you should be prepared to …
Every non-profit needs to fundraise. That means every non-profit needs to hire someone to do the fundraising. We call those people who actually meet with donors, shake hands, do fundraising …
Lots of times, people (and non-profits) don’t see the true value of what they have. They take things for granted, and underestimate the capacity of the people they are closest …
Modern fundraisers are bombarded with marketing messages, sales pitches, and ideas for new fundraising strategies. I don’t know about you, but I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of …
How well are you telling your non-profit’s story? No… I’m not talking about that boilerplate “History of our Organization” that you have on your website. And I’m certainly not referring …