At every level in fundraising, give your donors and prospective donors opportunities to share their stories. Let them know that they matter and that they can make a big difference.
Funny how such a simple, five-letter word (brand) can be so complex and so much more than just a logo.
As Alexander Graham Bell said, "Before anything else, preparation is the key to success." His words ring true for any fundraiser today: Be prepared! Take steps now to ensure success when the time is right for a major campaign!
The needs and pressure for additional private dollars for public school foundations are great. The days of a single operational focus for a public school foundation are over. Make every constituency own philanthropy, and seek to broaden your impact. The teachers and children are waiting.
On Sunday, the Association of Fundraising Professionals kicked off its 50th International Conference on Fundraising, and it kicked things off in style. How? With fundraising legend after fundraising legend … as well as Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter John Legend.
Last week, I started my list of 11 principles of fundraising. These are from the final lecture I give to students when I teach a class in fundraising — the very least I hope they remember as they enter the nonprofit workforce.
During my career I paid thousands of dollars for career coaches that frankly ended up being a waste of time and money. While I wanted to explore opportunities in government and business, every indicator ultimately pointed me back to the nonprofit sector.
Avoid crying by proper preparation and strategy. In the end it's all about scoring and enjoying the game!
I knew my new volunteer campaign leader “got it” when, at the first facility design meeting, she threw out the design and created one with the patients’ needs in mind.
Survey, contact and interview your donors all you want. There's real value in doing so. But that value may turn out to have more to do with cultivation than with predicting their future behavior.
