It used to be that the average charity would have to simply ask and the donor would simply give, with no questions asked. All of that has changed. And this change has not dawned on many nonprofits or major gift fundraisers. This can be a major block to success for a major gift officer...
You’ve probably seen the stats. According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, retention across the U.S. is 46 percent—and about half that for new donors! You work too hard to have more than half your donors disappear, never to be heard from again...
Everyone loves getting free swag, particularly if it is unique and useful. Fundraisers are an essential way for organizations to raise money for their cause, and swag bags are critical to getting donors to the table and interested in your event...
There’s no substitute for the basics, as boring and tedious as they may be. This is true with anything in life, and major gifts development is no exception. The basics are boring, but they’re fundamental to your success...
Most of us can identify with this experience: Agreeing to help out with a project or an organization, ending up more involved than we intended and vowing to say “no” to future requests. And yet, here I am, year after year, running tickets for Hot Times, Holy Enchilada and the other games of chance. The truth is, I fell prey to a technique we subscribe to at Turnkey to help our clients raise more money for their various missions...
As development professionals, the level of service and excellence in which your organization delivers its mission impacts us directly. We must be ever-vigilant in observing and being proactive in solving situations...
The tools used in social media in today’s world are amazing. There are so many ways to communicate with each other. I watched my 11-year-old grandson seamlessly work through social media vehicles with ease the other day. It made me wonder how social media will affect the next generation of fundraisers after I pass the torch...
Fundraising is all about relationships: The depth and quality of relationships between donors and the institution—the organization’s staff. It is also all about numbers. You must have a certain number of donors at specific levels to meet your goal (unless you have one donor driving the project, but then you will most likely eventually have to worry about sustainability)…
I am a sucker for those ads that feature dogs and other four-legged creatures in cages. The organizations that I contribute to on a regular basis include the following: ASPCA, The Humane Society, Farm Sanctuary, AARF and PAWS...
One might think that gift range charts are just for large projects, such as capital campaigns or for significant fundraising efforts. And while there is some truth to that, gift range charts can be used effectively in even the smallest of fundraising shops...
