Annual Campaigns

As major campaigns near their ends, often there is a tendency to lessen the focus on best practices and the campaign discipline that has been key to your success. I believe that campaign goals should be met with major gifts. This strategy always should include plans to maintain and increase your ongoing annual support...

The theme of this year’s IFC is asking the right questions. So here is my question: What is fundraising success? The answer is obvious surely. It’s how much money we raise. Success is based on getting from X amount of money to Y, where Y is greater than X. Look at any fundraising award citation…

When discussing a pending major campaign, it is not uncommon for boards—at organizations of all sizes—to get nervous and to be uncertain. Many board members have not been through a campaign before. Some have been through successful campaigns. Some have had encountered campaign experiences...

You may think fall is a long way off. We just celebrated Independence Day in the U.S., and temperatures are creeping into the 90s. Don’t let that deceive you. September will be here before you know it. Fall is a busy time, especially if you’re doing a year-end appeal. Many nonprofits rely on their year-end…

In an effort to make good with participating nonprofits and repair its own reputation, Kimbia, the technology platform and solution provider for Give Local America, has announced a multi-phase plan to help nonprofits achieve their goals and mitigate any loss brought about by the technological snafu that brought nonprofits' websites and fundraising efforts to a crashing halt on May 3...

The spring-appeal season is underway, and I’ve been barraged with appeals for the last couple of weeks. For many organizations, this is their main fundraising drive of the year. Unfortunately, some of these organizations need a refresher course in appeal writing. Whether you’re planning a spring campaign or one later in the year, here are…

When it comes to planning for Penn State Thon 2017, the controversial practice of "canning" is coming back this fall—but with some major changes and only for a limited time. Thon 2016 and Thon 2017 executive directors Katie Mailey and Austin Sommerer today released a letter to the Thon community stating in part: "In agreement with the…

Fundraising is by no means an easy task! Charities of all sizes constantly strive to increase the amount of annual donations and raise awareness about their causes. And now, peer-to-peer fundraising is helping nonprofits toward both of these goals like never before. But can we stimulate this fundraising channel even more? And how can we…

The Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri raised a record amount from its “Dessert First” event, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The organization raised more than $350,000 from roughly 500 guests. On top of that, it has received a higher number of requests from out-of-state residents to purchase cookies. So why the sudden uptick in funds? It might have something to do with St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson's letter, asking parishes in the area to seek alternatives to Girl Scouts...

Penn State's THON 2016 ended Sunday afternoon with its fundraising total revealed amid the signature cheers and exhausted exaltation among too-tired-for-words students fresh from a weekend of nonstop dancing and a year of persistent fundraising—all in the name of helping children with cancer. But make no mistake, things were different this year. Very different. THON…