In this age of “fake news”, “alternative facts” “hyper partisanship” and what seems to be a general erosion of trust, why should we even care?  And if we care what can we fundraisers do about it? Of course, every fundraiser should care because trust is the lynchpin of a solid and sustainable relationship with a donor.  And because there are ways to measure trust, taking steps to increase the level of trust, and by doing so increase donor value and an organization’s net revenue. The post Has Donor Trust in Charities Changed? appeared first on LAPA Fundraising ..read more

You probably won’t recognize most of the names on the list of the top 50 mega-philanthropists. MacKenzie Scott’s name, though, immediately rings a bell and puts a smile on the face of those of us serving in the non-profit sector. Ironically, she is not on that list, unlike her ex-husband. Yet we love her for the special sensitivity she shows us, and her latest “strike,” an announcement to give away $250 million in funding to small nonprofits, is no exception. The post MacKenzie Strikes Again appeared first on LAPA Fundraising ..read more

It’s no surprise that we live in very distracting times. The number of interruptions, tedious processes, and double security verifications is utterly vile. And those distractions are negatively affecting your fundraising bottom line. The post Donor Distraction Destroys Fundraising Returns: Here’s What to Do About It. appeared first on LAPA Fundraising ..read more

Our recent posts have lasered in on fundraising perennials--retention of fundraising staff, annual funds, and why donors give.  Another perennial stacks up as equally worthy of thoughtful commentary, and that’s the role of the chief executive officer in fundraising.   A short definition of a CEO is he or she who makes decisions.  Nowadays, we recognize the value of consensus decision-making, and that’s fine.  But the kinds of decisions I’m referring to are the big ones, decisions such as those made by the captain of a ship. The post The CEO as Chief Fundraiser: A Role ..read more

That disturbingly high turnover rates and low morale plague fundraising professionals is nothing new. Research going back almost two decades shows this to be true. One study in particular found that the “average fundraiser stays on a job only 16 months.” In fact, just last year, author Rob Webb called on us to act on fundraising turnover right here in NonProfit Pro. The past research on turnover was best summarized by our colleague Penelope Burke as follows: The post How To Improve Fundraiser Retention appeared first on LAPA Fundraising ..read more

The annual fund is an internal phrase fundraisers use to refer to the drive(s) held during the 12-months of a calendar year to raise the revenue to cover your organization’s operating expenses. Many readers of the LAPA blog have asked me if the annual fund is dead. Why are they concerned? The post Reports of the Demise of the Annual Fund are Greatly Exaggerated appeared first on LAPA Fundraising ..read more

There are many reasons we in the fundraising industry tell one another about why donors give.  They are moved by your mission, they know a board or staff member, they’ve given for years, to name a few.  I doubt that all of them are true, and I especially doubt that they are all true at the same point in the giving calculus for each donor. The post The Secret to Why Donors Give appeared first on LAPA Fundraising ..read more

Nonprofit endowments are donations pooled together and invested in the stock market. At the end of the year, a portion of this money goes to the charity, but the principal amount remains in the market. Many smaller nonprofits may think of endowments as a pipe dream, but any size organization can start an endowment fund. The post Are You Endowment Ready? appeared first on LAPA Fundraising ..read more

I remember when people were in awe of email.  They loved it. Until they didn’t. The convenience –the ability to communicate directly and personally in writing regardless of time zones and free of telephone buzzy signals or answering machines and fax machines—was astounding. The post Remember When? appeared first on LAPA Fundraising ..read more

Many nonprofit executives still struggle with how to pay for fundraising. That’s a shame because fundraising done well pays for itself. Yet the dilemma is real and persistent. Below I suggest a few ways to break out of this impasse. The post Paying for Fundraising—Fast, Cheap, and Good? appeared first on LAPA Fundraising ..read more