Fundraiser Education

Do you remember "Groundhog Day," the 1993 classic film? Bill Murray’s character, Phil, keeps living the same day over and over and over again. Phil tries to break the cycle of endless Feb. 2's with extreme endeavors, including kidnapping the official Groundhog Day groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. Can you relate? Does your organization seem to address…

If you go to a public place, whether it’s a coffee shop, bus station or university campus, you’ll notice that nearly everyone is on their cellphones, laptops or tablets. People constantly are connected to each other through the many accessible avenues on the Internet. Nonprofits are no exception! In fact, three of the top four…

There are multiple ways to analyze giving and charitable trends, but you can’t run from the findings. Give it a try. Can you run from this statistic: “Every 100 donors gained in 2014 was offset by 103 donors lost through attrition”?...

It's important to project where you believe your prospect research efforts will need to concentrate. Although we can’t claim to predict the future, we can propose some theories about the future of prospect research. Here are three prospect research trends to consider...

Mission statements often have been mind-numbing, only good for bureaucrats and impressing funders. But your mission statement is part of your branding, just like your logo or website design. That's why it must be outstanding. Today's mission statements often are shortened to a few, pithy words that work across communication channels. The best ones express…

Joan Garry and I work on a lot of digital projects together, and we’ve definitely seen a big improvement among nonprofits. Thankfully, the quality and sophistication of nonprofit websites, social media, email marketing and so on have improved over the years. By now, the basic playbook used by most nonprofits for online donations is pretty…

This is the story of how a small nonprofit with no social media experience used the power of storytelling to raise $12,000 in 12 days. Smoky Mountain Meals on Wheels is located in Maryville, Tenn. It provides home-delivered meals to seniors in Blount County, and that’s just the start. It also provides groceries for special…

I am writing this blog in an airport, at the end of a six-day trip that included one crazy cabbie, one blizzard and two hotels that cancelled room service since its staff was snowbound. I opened a bottle of wine with a pair of tweezers and an ink pen. If you run a national peer-to-peer…

United Way, The Salvation Army, American Cancer Society: What do all of these nonprofits have in common? Aside from recognizable brands and worldwide reach, they all use similar techniques to raise funds and stay in the forefront of donors' minds. The public has a general idea about the vision and budgets of these organizations. You’ll…

You’ve probably known someone in your life with the special gift of making you feel like you matter. Like you’re his or her “favorite.” That’s what donor-centered fundraising is all about. Your donors know that you couldn’t do it without them, that their support matters. Because you speak to them in that way that reminds them, each and every time, that they count...