Fundraising

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?...

You must understand you have a unique personality and traits. Like dating, everyone is different and all of us relate differently to the staff, volunteers, prospects, donors and others we meet. Some will connect to us and some will not connect to us. In all cases, you need to be professional, honest, ethical, institutionally driven, have high expectations and persevere...

The Wyss Foundation today announced a commitment of up to $65 million to the South African-based conservation organization African Parks to support the protection and management of four existing parks in Rwanda and Malawi and to enable the nonprofit organization to conserve up to five new protected areas yet to be identified in other countries. African Parks,…

When is a donor-cultivation event more about building your organization’s profile than it is about fundraising? How can you be sure that your “friendraiser” is actually moving you towards the achievement of your fundraising goals? Events can be great fun, excellent for networking and for catching up with people in the community, but sometimes I…

Google’s charitable arm is pumping $11.5 million into 10 organizations fighting for racial justice. The largest of Google.org’s new grants, $5 million, will go to the Center for Policing Equity. It’s a think tank based in New York that’s working with police departments and communities to create a database that tracks police interactions with citizens…

Peer-to-Peer fundraising is a great way to engage your donors and get them to participate in some healthy, happy, fun physical activity. We are currently surrounded by a world promoting fitness and wellness. Just look around: From fitness tracker watches (FitBit, Apple Watch) to food tracking apps (MyFitnessPal, My Macros+) to the numerous amount of “#fitspos” out there popping up like dandelions—all of these things keep you motivated to stay healthy and find any excuse to engage in physical activity, right?...

Are those of us who earn our income as fundraisers professionals? Oddly, that’s something I never really considered. I’ve always considered myself a professional and strived to act accordingly. But seeing how the occasional few in the name of fundraising act dishonorably or even illegally to increase contributions and/or their income does certainly point to at least some who view fundraising as simply a way to earn a living...

Yemen is on the verge of social, economic and institutional collapse as a merciless war continues to rage. People are struggling to survive. Since the escalation of the conflict in March 2015, over 2 million people have fled their homes, putting host communities under pressure and leading to insufficient food and inadequate access to basic medical…

One of the toughest challenges in our sector is getting donors to give time and time again—to get one-time donors to become repeat donors. Perhaps it’s showing donors the impact that the organization is making or having a mission powerful enough for donors to want to be a part of the organization. Perhaps simplifying the…