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...
We are working with a client with several high net-worth board members who have been donors, but not at a level commensurate with their giving capacity. This organization is moving from a focus on special events—where their annual giving was a program of event sponsorships—to a relationship-based culture of philanthropy. The reality is that while…
Wall Street investors famously coined the phrase, “It’s all about the Benjamins,” referring to the hundred dollar bill that bears Benjamin Franklin’s likeness. As it turns out, Franklin can give us a few tips about how to maximize fundraising dollars...
PayPal created its Charitable Giving Fund as a convenient way to donate to your favorite charities. Seems like a simple enough transaction, right? Unfortunately, Friends for Health and Terry Kass recently slammed PayPal with a class action lawsuit for allegedly redirecting charitable funds to other nonprofit organizations without notifying the donor (or the organization that the donation was originally intended for)...
When your focus is on a donor’s potential capacity rather than their passion, you’re making assumptions. When your focus is on their job title or the neighborhood they live in rather than their commitment, you’re making assumptions. When your focus is on the color of their skin or their age or gender, you’re making assumptions...
I suppose all of us are trying to make deep gladness happen in our lives in some way or another. I know I am. I have discovered there is direct correlation between my happiness and serving others. It goes up when I am giving myself away. It goes down when I am focused on me. It’s counterintuitive, I know. But it’s true...
Fundraising is a high-stake, high-anxiety field. Both staff members and board members face constant anxiety and fear of failure. And the anxiety ramps up during capital campaigns when the goals and consequences of failure are even higher.
Trends change every year, bringing new opportunities that are tied to new challenges. Many of them impact donor and volunteer perceptions. Based on my time working in the nonprofit environment, I'm noting specific trends in anticipation for the remainder of 2017. Here are some of the challenges I foresee and some thoughts on how to…
In our digitally dependent era, there are various ways to donate funds online. A donor can make a donation through their smartphone faster than we can count to 10. Technological innovation is at its peak right now, and we think it’s going to continue to grow and grow—rapidly, too. Included in the countless forms of online payments are bitcoins. What are do you think? Is bitcoin the currency of the future?...
