Do you have a bucket list? For many years, going to Graceland, the home of the late Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tenn., has been at the top of my bucket list. I spent many hours creating excuses why I could not go on this visit...
Each year, approximately 10 percent of your nonprofit donor base will attrite naturally through death, moving or just not giving any longer. Then, you add lapsed donors on top of that natural attrition, and you are looking at an eroding donor list. Sound familiar?...
Whether you’re a one-person charity or a multinational nonprofit, the question of whether to go “big” or stay “small” is always there. Make the smart choice, and you’ll soar. Guess wrong, and you’ll be stuck in the doldrums—or worse...
Sometimes, a nonprofit’s fundraising seems to go into a death spiral. Revenue isn’t just flat, it’s declining. The interventions attempted don’t work, and “big change” ideas won’t fly. Losses keep piling up no matter what senior management does to stem the bleeding. Firing the entire management team might be the only answer. Understanding why that is true could save your job...
Nonprofit leaders are constantly hearing about how important impact and outcomes are to funders. Articles with titles like, “Study: A Nonprofit’s Impact Is the Most Significant Consideration to Funders,” and “Why Outcomes, Not Output, Is the Key to Nonprofit Sustainability,” are everywhere...
November is almost here. Many of you are probably working on your #GivingTuesday campaigns, or you may have other giving days you’re focused on. And of course everybody is on board with sending out several emails in the month of December...
One common problem managers have with major gift officers is how to manage their time. Or maybe I should say how not to manage their time. Some managers believe that the eight-to-five rule for employees actually applies to MGOs...
When considering giving motivations, most nonprofits turn to their well-tested case for giving or a list of organizational features. More sophisticated organizations turn to recent survey data that provides details about their donor base or a group of donor personas...
#GivingTuesday and the holiday season: We all know that this is the biggest time of the year for those in the giving space. Not only that, but we also happen to think that it’s the best time to try out social fundraising for yourself to see just how powerful it can be...
For most people, asking for gifts in person is difficult. And when you are asking for one of the top campaign gifts, it’s even harder because the stakes are super high. Chances are, you don’t have very many donors who would consider giving one of those lead gifts. So, it’s no surprise that when you ask those donors for very big gifts, you are anxious...
