Mention fundraising, and the most likely initial response will be something like, “Oh, I don’t like to ask for money.” The act of asking another for a charitable investment is often seen as the sum total of fundraising. Those of us who have done it successfully, those who have been there, know this isn’t true. We know it’s not magic. It’s a matter of attitude...
I decided to look at Food for the Poor's website to see if I could learn anything about its growth from its site alone. There are many things I do not know about the charity—but neither do many people considering making a donation. Often, all someone has to go by is a website. So, what’s happening on its siteI decided to look at the charity's website to see if I could learn anything about its growth from its site alone. There are many things I do not know about Food for the Poor—but let’s face it, neither do many people considering making a donation. Often, all someone has to go by is an organization's website. So, how is Food for the Poor using its site to engage donors?...
Pancake Pantry is known for great food and great service—and long lines. Years ago, it was the go-to place for business meetings, and it was not uncommon to see the governor, the mayor and congressmen there. After enduring those long lines, I had a goal...
Whoa! What happened last week? For many nonprofit professionals who work toward a country that is kind, respectful and inclusive, the U.S. presidential election was nothing short of devastating. But we need to get to work. Crisis represents opportunity. Here are four things we can do...
Consumers today have similar expectations of all brands they engage with—commercial or nonprofit. And they expect brands to handle requests in close to real-time. Now, if you are saying, "Gosh, I don’t have this problem," think again...
Major benefactors are expecting more than they ever have before. They know, in our age of information and technology, just how capable nonprofits are of giving them what they really want. And, if we really break it down, there are three things that today’s mega-givers want—and are going to get—whether it’s from you or from another organization...
Here's the problem in most major-gift fundraising. We want the donor to give, and we spend a lot of time figuring out how to motivate his or her giving. But we don’t spend enough time describing the need. And when we do describe it, it is not compelling. When you look at the presentation you are currently working on for your donor, ask yourself these four questions...
If you get to know me for more than five minutes, you will learn that I relate fundraising and development to sports. There are so many parallels to each entity. So, whenever I hear Wayne Gretzky's famous quote, "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take,” I immediately think of fundraising solicitations...
Earlier this month, many of us experienced what felt like a miracle—the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. Even if you are not a baseball fan, or if you supported the Cleveland Indians (the Cubs’ very worthy opponent), there are some great takeaways for fundraisers from the season that ended a 108-year stretch of losing...
You may be asking, “Why do my donors keep giving the same amount year over year? Are they somehow stuck?" What’s happened is you've essentially trained these donors to give that amount year after year. If you have a caseload full of lower-end major gifts from donors like these, I want you to consider the following...
