Companies that offer matching gifts don’t always do the best job of internally promoting their employee-giving programs, and as a result, many eligible donors don’t submit matching gift requests. Matching gifts are free money that your nonprofit should be claiming, and there are easy ways to improve your fundraising in this area. If your nonprofit wants to improve its matching gift fundraising, then these top five best practices are for you...
There is a big difference between simply knowing something about a person and truly knowing the person. Our ability to know a person requires that we have great familiarity with that individual. It’s through this process that we begin to understand whether a person’s behavior is the result of some episodic impulse or something the individual truly could not stop themselves from doing...
If someone says “talk to the hand” to you, it could simply mean they do not want to hear what you have to say. But is it that simple? In the major-gifts world, when a major donor does not want to talk to you and, in essence, says “talk to the hand” it can mean so many different things...
Your “first date” with your volunteer fundraisers is when they register for your peer-to-peer fundraising event. You may have shared prior secretive glances and witty repartee with them in the form of direct response or a donation, but this is the big move. You are asking them out. You have to decide if you’ll make them pay to date you: Are you going to charge a registration fee?...
Each year, thousands of professionals need continuing education (CE) credits as a requirement for their profession. It is a must for individuals to stay on top of their games and have the latest knowledge available for their clients. It is also important that professionals stay in contact with their professional peers. An exchange of information is critical both in quality and quantity to professional growth and development...
I told Bill that if he and the other leaders of the organization want to break through their glass ceiling, they’ll need to find out what the emotional issues are—for their supporters, not for them—then very carefully construct a communication program that addresses these....
Planned giving provides donors with a valuable resource and your nonprofit with incredible funding. But in the U.S., 91 percent of wealth takes the form of non-cash assets. So if you don’t have a planned giving program you are fundraising from only 9 percent of donor’s assets...
Money is a key component of the philanthropic equation, but today’s innovative philanthropists want to do more. Money can serve to make their precious values and boldest dreams come true. To assure this happens, they’ll do whatever it takes. If you want to succeed in any kind of fundraising (major or otherwise), it behooves you to get inside your donors’ heads...
Hispanic Heritage Month began Sept. 15, and I bet you have seen ads, social media posts, news stories and more talking about it. For those of you who have not yet considered doing outreach or fundraising campaigns geared toward the U.S. Hispanic market, here is some information that might encourage you....
Right now I think you are probably pretty stressed. Like everyone in fundraising, a large percentage of your overall revenue comes in between now and the end of the year. So, my question to you is this: During times of high-level stress, do you still feel a sense of joy in what you are doing? Your answer is critical...
