A charity that spends 20 percent on overhead and knocks its mission out of the ballpark is not less worthy of support than one that spends 10 percent on overhead but helps relatively few people. It’s one way of assessing things, but not necessarily the most meaningful...
As fundraisers, our passengers are our donors. And as most experienced fundraisers have found, even the best change can impact income—at least for a while. I mean, let’s be real—what’s bad about going from a boring, two-color newsletter to one that is four-color and has larger photos? In most cases, nothing. But it’s change, and, as humans, we can be a bit slow to adapt to anything different; and that can keep us from giving until we get comfortable with the "new."...
Facebook has rolled out some changes, and, guess what? They really can help your marketing and fundraising—if you use them correctly...
I recently saw an old commercial with individuals singing on a hilltop for a cause and wondered how music was used for charity. In “When Music and Charity Collide,” Reason Digital made the case that it’s natural to use people’s love of music to do good. Here are six key points (and real-world examples) if you plan to use music for charity efforts, as specified by Reason Digital...
"We need money! Can you send out an email/mailing/newsletter?" Have you heard some variation of that in your career? It’s tough enough doing a great job when you can plan a project, but when you have no time for the "luxury" of rumination, take a few minutes to answer these five questions to help your direct response fundraising be as effective as possible...
At the Bridge Conference last week, I had the opportunity to attend several breakout sessions. Like any conference, there were hits and misses, but I learned a few things, was reminded of many things and had some other things I was convinced of confirmed. So, all in all, it was a good investment of time and money...
One trip, three brands and personal communication that went in opposite directions...
How many emails did you wake up to this morning? If you’re like me, it was a lot. Dozens, maybe even 100 or more. But how many did you really read? Unfortunately, communication from nonprofit organizations—even those we support and really care about—can end up quickly deleted. There’s simply too much going on in our lives to treat every piece of communication equally...
If your job title falls under the category of “one-person development department,” it’s very likely that, sometimes, you feel like a chicken running around with its head cut off. Ah, the pressure. How on earth is a smart development director to do it all? Brace yourself for the big news, folks: You shouldn’t want to focus on all of that stuff, because you don’t have to focus on all of that stuff. Just look at Trader Joe's...
We were meeting with people at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission to help them build a major-gift program and start developing real relationships with donors. The rescue mission has some really faithful donors, but many of them have not been challenged to make a real investment in the mission...
