Fundraiser Education

FS will host its second annual virtual conference and expo on May 19. The theme of the show remains the same as last year — Enlightening, Engaging and Empowering Donors — because that's pretty much what it all comes down to when you're trying to raise money and awareness for your important cause.

These 12 strategies aren't the only things I'd do to transform my donor-development office. They may not even be the most urgent things I'd do, or even the most important. But they are the things I'd do that I think would have the most lasting impact. They would make the most difference to converting my imaginary donor-development department from the under-funded, misunderstood appendage to the fundraising function that I found on joining the organization into the finely honed, high-
earning core activity that I'd like to leave behind when, in the fullness of time, I move on to pastures new (you have to indulge me a little here, in this fantasy). Anyway, here we go.

The economy … well … sucks at the moment! But does that really mean nobody is giving? Nope! Fundraising is alive and well and even thriving. I have 10 tips to help you get your share of the money that's going around.

Someone looking for a position in the nonprofit arena needs to weigh the pros and cons. The pros are many and should be taken to heart.

Indiana University is receiving two generous gifts from the estate of philanthropist Ruth Lilly — an estimated $10.7 million — including approximately $8 million for the Center on Philanthropy and approximately $2.7 million for the Herron School of Art and Design.

Some organizations seem trapped in a sisyphean cycle of not just making mistakes but repeating the same mistakes again and again. So how do you work at becoming a learning organization? Here's my checklist of five characteristics drawing on Senge's work and my own thinking and experience.

The University of Miami and New York University announce a unique partnership to bring experts from NYU's nationally-renown philanthropy program to South Florida for a one day conference for development professionals.

Entitled, The Art Of The Ask: A Critical Component In Fundraising, the conference features faculty and authors from NYU's Heyman Center, the foremost experts in the field.

Catholic Charities of Terre Haute has a new Facebook page and Terre Haute Children’s Museum has a new video aimed at recruiting volunteers. Both nonprofits have benefited from the work of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College students, who've helped them better use social media.

The “Social Marketing Experiment” project is funded through a $15,000 Ball Brothers Foundation Venture grant and the Lilly Endowment. Teams of on-campus and distance student-interns piloted the program, in which they designed and implemented social marketing strategies for the nonprofits.

Fundraising pros Dane Grams and Richard DeVeau offer some general tips for small and midsized nonprofit organizations.

Here are the four forever facts about fundraising.