I was thinking of an old friend and colleague, Henry “Hank” Rosso, recently when I was doing research on fundraising. I decided to look at Rosso’s obituary. On Feb. 1, 1999, Hank died at the age of 81 in Petaluma, Calif...
While “winning the lottery” and “find that pot of gold” are nice strategies to dream about, there are some more practical things you can do to get a better understanding of who your donors are—and they won’t require any more expenditure of your already stretched budget...
Digital outreach is a crucial component of how nonprofits engage with potential donors. The importance and reach of a nonprofit’s digital efforts require a dedicated professional—or more—to maintain them...
We are big on not attending the same professional conferences year after year. Take a break from your routine and attend a new conference—maybe one outside of your nonprofit sector. This year, I’m taking a break from AFP to attend a different conference and I plan to be back at AFP next year...
When we look at the people who serve on volunteer leadership committees for nonprofit peer-to-peer fundraising, we assume those people are our highest fundraisers and that’s how they came to be on the committees. Or we assume that these folks have a strong mission connection and that is why they are on the committee...
Have you ever thrown spaghetti at the wall? Either literally or figuratively? This week, try doing something just a bit outrageous just to remind yourself that you can and to know what it feels like...
Over the years, we have worked with hundreds of major-gift officers. Some are good, some are not so good and some are extraordinary. We’re working with a number of extraordinary ones right now. The other day, I asked one of these great MGOs to tell me what a typical day looks like, so I could share it with you to give you an idea of how an extraordinary MGO goes about her day...
A year or so ago, I joined 20 organizations with a monthly gift. And (sneaky me), I gave them a card that was going to expire a month later. I then tracked what organizations did in terms of “thank you” letters and actions to try to get me back...
Evaluating—or re-evaluating—recruiting strategy, community outreach and ways to improve volunteer programs should include a thorough understanding of current trends and changes impacting the nonprofit sector. In conducting our latest research into the state of volunteerism and volunteer screening in America, we asked for feedback from more than 700 nonprofit professionals...
I constantly write blog posts for audiences with vast experience as nonprofit pros. As I was sitting at my computer recently, it occurred to me that many individuals who do not work in our profession read a variety of these blog posts...
