Why You Should Never Give Up on Donors
March 28, 2016 at 11:38 am

I have a story I want tell you. Recently, Iโ€™ve 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...

Transparency Versus Trust
March 24, 2016 at 8:00 am

Weโ€™re told transparency creates trust between our organization and its supporters. For far too long, weโ€™re told, nonprofits have operated in a sort of vague existential โ€œnever zoneโ€ of โ€œweโ€™re doing good, so you donโ€™t have to worry.โ€ The fundraising pundits tell us thatโ€™s what donors demand, these days. โ€œBe transparent. You need to share everything. Donors want to verify before they give.โ€ Do they?...

How Good Receipting Leads to Better Retention
March 24, 2016 at 8:00 am

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...

Any Nonprofit Can Rock Major Gifts With These 9 Tips (Part 1)
March 23, 2016 at 11:06 am

It simply makes sense to follow the money. Where is it? Letโ€™s begin with that elephant-shaped piรฑata in the middle of the room. Itโ€™s filled with the majority of all philanthropy. Yup! Itโ€™s right inside. Youโ€™ve got to figure out how to get the goodies out of it or youโ€™ll just be scrambling for spare change. Major gifts is where the real money is. How do you break open that piรฑata?...

Big Shoulders, Giant Sass: Lessons From the International Fundraising Conference
March 23, 2016 at 10:29 am

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...

Always Have a Development Backup Plan
March 23, 2016 at 10:05 am

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 didnโ€™t want just one person with a unique set of skills. We wanted backup...

Big Data, Big Opportunities: 5 Key Lessons From the Commercial Sector
March 22, 2016 at 10:52 am

For the more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the U.S., dataโ€”big and smallโ€”has 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, thereโ€™s a catchโ€”as hopes have risen, so have confusion and concern about using technology to make it happen without draining budgets and sacrificing other efforts...

Politics and Charitable Giving (Do Go Together)
March 21, 2016 at 11:13 am

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. Itโ€™s only natural for nonprofit executives and fundraisers to be nervous about how the 2016 presidential campaign will impact contributions to their organizations...

Stop and Get Close to the Pain
March 21, 2016 at 10:37 am

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 environmentโ€”whatever it is, focus on it...