Annual Campaigns

At least seven U.S. cities and counties have stopped firefighters from collecting charitable donations at busy intersections citing safety concerns. For nearly 61 years, career and volunteer firefighters around the country have participated in “Fill-the-Boot” roadside charity campaigns, often around the Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends. They raise money, while on duty and in…

I bet many of you are out there thinking, “Do I really have time for #GivingTuesday?” To that I say, "Yes, you do!" The tools and tactics are all at your fingertips. Remember that other organizations are taking part in this global giving campaign and #GivingTuesday is about visibility and momentum during a vitally important…

I am old school and still maintain my to-do list by hand. Some days I do not look at the list because I know what is on the list. The point of this post is not to advocate for the elimination of a work-priority task list, but to encourage you to create a modified version of a list. Divide your list by time segments, priorities and importance with respect to deadlines...

United Way of East Central Alabama won't set a fundraising goal this year, opting instead to better inform the public on how donations are spent. The Anniston, Alabama-based nonprofit, which provides money to 28 nonprofits in Calhoun, Cleburne and Randolph counties, skipped its tradition of announcing a fundraising goal at its annual kickoff event Tuesday.…

An Army veteran said the USO's use of the Purple Heart image in its fundraising campaign creates a misleading impression about the award given to service members wounded in combat. The USO's fundraising materials sent in April included personalized return address labels featuring an image of the Purple Heart next to the veteran's name and…

The annual appeal concept is one that holds to the idea that donors give one time, once a year, hence the words “annual gift” or the question, “Has the donor made their annual gift yet?” Fundraising programs built on this philosophy look to secure that one gift once a year, and then the work is finished. There are several things wrong with this concept...

The United Way of the Midlands is changing the way it raises money as it adapts to the changing nature of the workplace and to intensifying needs within the community. Shawna Forsberg, president and chief executive officer at the United Way, said the organization no longer will announce a specific funding goal each August and…

If you're on a June/July fiscal year, you need to make plans now for a strong year's end. That means updating your messaging that you decided last July was the best approach. It means confirming or lining up your interviews for those story-based letters. It means making sure that you're still sending to the right segments.

This is incredibly effective! If you ask me to do one or two strategic things, I can and will accomplish them. Get me loaded up with a bunch—and especially things that I am not comfortable doing—I'll shut down.

Did you know that billions of contributions are in play right now? Donors will, in fact, be giving vast amounts of money to charities in the next three weeks. Many organizations will receive up to a third of their entire annual giving this month.