When a donor makes an “in-memoriam” gift, they’re presenting you with more than just a one-time gift. In fact, in-memoriam donations often provide organizations with an opportunity that they let slip through their fingers...
Nonprofit leaders are looking for donors in all giving abilities. But they are not looking for just any donor. They are looking for that subset of investors who share their values and vision and—by their life situation—are ready and willing to invest...
FrontStream recently announced the launch of Panorama, an integrated fundraising platform that includes FirstGiving and Artez for peer-to-peer and online fundraising, BiddingForGood’s online and mobile auctions and GiftWorks Cloud, the company’s donor database...
I just finished Seth Godin’s book, “Poke the Box.” As always, it’s terrific, short and to the point. It really got me thinking: Seth tells us to have the initiative to start. Turn fear into action because the consequence of doing nothing is much scarier and is going to raise a lot less money!...
Throughout the last few years, the entire world has been buzzing about the power of story. On the surface, all this conversation makes it seem like we've collectively forgotten the millennia of storytelling sprawled out before us in museums, history books, novels and campfires...
Conventional wisdom says that when people support nonprofits, “it’s all about the mission.” Nonprofit CEOs and other C-suite executives say this a lot. Their supporters are connected to a cure for cancer, global warming, humane treatment of animals, etc. And when you ask constituents why they do what they do for nonprofits, this is exactly what they will say. It’s all about the kids, homeless animals, clean air...
In one of the webinars I present on monthly giving, one of the polls is: “How often do you ask someone to become a monthly donor?” The answer in some 50 percent of cases is not at all. Twenty percent say once a year and others more often than that—maybe twice or three times...
The No. 1 strategy for sustaining good-standing relationships with donors is by engaging with them on a personal level—not just the major donors, but all donors. And yes, this includes your mid-level donors, too...
Is it time to urge the AFP to launch a formal effort to update the Donor Bill of Rights, incorporating donors from offline and online sources, into a single, updated and relevant document? I argue it is, and that part of this effort should be to invite—and consider—input from the fundraisers in the trenches...
Philanthropists, especially those who become evergreen, see giving as a relationship—an ongoing relationship. They give for reasons, which are intensely personal. Those reasons are almost never material. They give to realize their personal values for self-actualization. Nonprofits that understand this appreciate that when they ask for an investment, they’re offering something of far greater value than the financial resource a donor offers...
