Millennials are different, and, by 2017, they may have the largest buying power in the U.S. Nonprofits canโt just prepare, they actually must change to embrace them...
I have a story I want tell you. Recently, Iโve been working with major gifts officer (MGO) Janice (not her real name) in the San Francisco Bay Area to help her get to know her donors on her caseload...
Weโre told transparency creates trust between our organization and its supporters. For far too long, weโre told, nonprofits have operated in a sort of vague existential โnever zoneโ of โweโre doing good, so you donโt have to worry.โ The fundraising pundits tell us thatโs what donors demand, these days. โBe transparent. You need to share everything. Donors want to verify before they give.โ Do they?...
I had an unexpected reconnection a few weeks ago with Rev. Tony Marciano, executive director of Charlotte Rescue Mission, Charlotte, N.C. The last time we talked was when Tony asked me for some suggestions on his receipting program. Since about seven years had passed, I decided to ask Tony how things were going. And what he told me about receipting and retention is worth sharing...
It simply makes sense to follow the money. Where is it? Letโs begin with that elephant-shaped piรฑata in the middle of the room. Itโs filled with the majority of all philanthropy. Yup! Itโs right inside. Youโve got to figure out how to get the goodies out of it or youโll just be scrambling for spare change. Major gifts is where the real money is. How do you break open that piรฑata?...
This week, I was at the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Fundraising Conference in Boston. Many sessions were worth the time away, but there was one, in particular, to remember. Three people took the stage. These three helped launch, build and grow organizations such as Amnesty International, Greenpeace International, Planned Parenthood, Sierra Club, Heifer International and more...
When I embarked on my own in fundraising consulting I had only one client that I served as a sole practitioner. I soon realized that I was missing the synergy of a team. Collaboration is important. We all have different skills. So, as we developed our team, we also looked for redundancy. We didnโt want just one person with a unique set of skills. We wanted backup...
For the more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the U.S., dataโbig and smallโhas never been more important in terms of its potential impact on fundraising. The opportunity to further understand, keep and grow donor relationships is huge. But for many of these organizations, thereโs a catchโas hopes have risen, so have confusion and concern about using technology to make it happen without draining budgets and sacrificing other efforts...
With the presidential election fewer than eight months away, fundraisers, once again, are faced with the uncertainty of whether political giving this year will impact contributions to their respective organizations. Itโs only natural for nonprofit executives and fundraisers to be nervous about how the 2016 presidential campaign will impact contributions to their organizations...
Stop for a moment, go to a quiet place and focus on the problem your organization is dealing with. It could be homelessness, drug addiction, abuse of people or animals, the effects of humankind on the environmentโwhatever it is, focus on it...