5 Ways to Boost Donor Retention in 2024   You worked hard during the year-end giving season to attract new donors to your cause. Now it’s time to channel that momentum and convert them into long-term supporters. As we head into 2024, let’s map out a winning donor retention strategy to make that happen!   If we cut to the basics of what drives donor retention, the two most important elements are donor appreciation and impact reporting. Both concepts send strong feedback signals to supporters. They let them know that their gifts didn’t disappear into a vacuum but actually made a differ ..read more

How To Attract Donors For Your Nonprofit’s Success Finding donors for your nonprofit isn’t just about luck—it’s about strategy. You’re about to dive into an article that’ll provide you with tried and tested methods to attract donors and generous hearts to your cause. We’ll cover everything from harnessing the power of social media to hosting fundraising events and even how to connect with corporate sponsors. You’re not alone in your quest to make a difference. There are countless individuals and businesses out there who are eager to support initiatives like yours. The key is to know how to rea ..read more

Why Nonprofits Should Integrate Marketing & Fundraising At many nonprofits, the marketing and fundraising teams work separately. One may handle all emails, social media accounts, and advertising, while the other cultivates donors and plans events. While this separate approach can work, nonprofits miss out on major benefits by keeping marketing and fundraising apart.  Here’s why you should integrate these two essential elements of your nonprofit. 1. Fundraising IS marketing. The goal of marketing is to raise awareness about what your organization is doing and to sell what you have to ..read more

12 Steps for Your Midyear Fundraising Tune-up When most people hear the word ‘tune-up,’ they naturally think about automobiles, and probably that their own car is overdue. A car represents a major investment, and timely service and maintenance ensures the best return on that investment. Similarly, giving your fundraising efforts a ‘fundraising tune-up’ can significantly enhance their efficiency and yield better results in achieving your organization’s goals. All for- and non-profit organizations will enormously benefit from similar tune-ups to ensure operations are performing at peak efficien ..read more

Are you looking at a map or the rearview mirror? As a fellow fundraiser, let me begin by giving you my congratulations on completing an unprecedented fundraising year. I hope you can spend some time in the next few weeks to take a break and carry out some much-deserved self-care. Be sure to take time to appreciate your team members who contributed to your organization’s fundraising success. Although the end of a fiscal year can bring a sense of relief, the start of a new year can understandably cause anxiety. The beginning of the fundraising year often leads to fundraisers asking themselves so ..read more

Donation Page Optimization: Best Practices for Nonprofit Fundraising   Why your donation pages matter Your nonprofit is always top of mind, but unfortunately, it’s easy for your donors and community to get sidetracked by the things in their own lives. That’s why it is critical that you make giving to your nonprofit as easy and seamless as possible. One simple way is to use donation page optimization, which can assist in increasing donations!   Online giving allows your donors to give any time of day. That flexibility increases the likelihood that they’ll follow through on their deci ..read more

When it comes to asking for donations, most of us head for the hills. We get it. It’s intimidating to ask other people to part with their hard earned cash. They might ask, “Why?” And we might not have a great answer. At its heart, fundraising is helping others connect an existing passion directly to your cause. We don’t convince donors. We help them realize that they already care. Once donors believe that your cause truly matters, giving almost becomes an afterthought. Of course they’ll give! The question simply becomes how much to ask for. But until then, you won’t have to sweat your fundrais ..read more

If fundraising is the lifeblood of your nonprofit, then your board of directors is the heart that keeps the organization moving forward. You may need to get your board fundraising for that statement to be true and the board of director meetings are your best bet. Read these 7 tips to more productive meetings so that you don’t have to learn these lessons the hard way. The first problem is that despite fundraising being an obvious responsibility for board members to engage in, the majority of board members aren’t doing it. The second problem is that despite their importance, many people view the ..read more

Grant writing is a time-consuming process. It can also be nerve-wracking if you’re inexperienced or working on a particularly important grant. Jeff Kutash, the executive director of the Peter Kiewit Foundation in Omaha, Neb, deals with grants on a daily basis. What does the head of a foundation that gave $18 million in grant money last year have to say about grant writing and the relationship between foundations and nonprofit professionals? Don’t get trapped One of the many mistakes Kutash routinely sees in grant writing is that the applicant looks at the application as a set-in-stone document ..read more

Diversify Your Fundraising Strategy to Grow Support in 2023 As we head into the new year, your nonprofit organization is likely prioritizing your top fundraising strategies. While the social impact sector is continuously adapting to the current economic climate, what might be different about 2023? Let’s discuss some opportunities this year brings to update your strategy for growing support.   Increase your reach by diversifying your fundraising strategy in the four following areas: Events Donor pool Payment options Funding sources 1. Events         &nb ..read more