You’ve heard it said that fundraising is all about relationships. Is it? No. Relationships exist in many formats. Many that do not lead to fundraising at all. I’d suggest fundraising is all about mutually beneficial relationships. That’s why if you meet with a donor prospect, you better have some asks ready. Even if you’re just “catching up.” Have 3 Options Ready If you’re “just going out to coffee,” it is correct to not make a solicitation. The visit itself is a success. Be strategic and curious with your questions – as they will be with theirs. But honor your stated “this isn’t an ask” invit ..read more

To bring your mission to fruition, you need a clear roadmap. However, developing an optimal fundraising strategy can be challenging, especially when there is already so much on your nonprofit’s plate. Luckily, you don’t have to do this alone! A fundraising consultant can identify opportunities for improvement in your existing fundraising plan and build new strategies to advance your nonprofit. Whether you’re struggling with online fundraising or stewardship, a fundraising consultant will bring a fresh perspective to your operations and help push you one step closer to your mission. In this gui ..read more

Let’s explore two fundraising scenarios. School A and School B are both holding month-long read-a-thon fundraising campaigns to cap off the end of the school year. School A asks students to collect flat donations of $10 from their friends and family. School B uses the pledge fundraising model and asks students to collect $3 pledges for each hour spent reading from their sponsors. In the end, both schools are successful—but School B raises more money and has better participation from students. This is because the students knew that they could raise more to support their scho ..read more

Your nonprofit’s donors interact with your organization in a variety of ways, whether they’re giving online, volunteering, following you on social media, or attending your events. All of this involvement is referred to as donor engagement. The more that your donors engage with your nonprofit, the more likely they are to stay engaged and become lifelong supporters who help you serve more beneficiaries. To give your organization’s donor engagement a boost, we’ll explore winning techniques your team can use to get more supporters actively involved in your work. 1. Be genuine when ..read more

I don’t know what the cause is, but many of us are finding people area taking a lot longer to make a decision. And more than that, they’re not responding to any of our follow up. This is hard in fundraising, isn’t it? Most nonprofits aren’t asking for next year’s budget. They need the money now. While I’m in favor of thoughtful philanthropy, nonprofits tend to need an answer. To know if they should keep following up or if they should move on. The conversation should be a dialogue. A back and forth. Your Role is NOT to Decide for Your Donor Whatever the cause, one thing I do know: don’t make th ..read more

If you’re a bit like me, registering for a conference is not something you look forward to. I hem and haw. I procrastinate. And I get more and more stressed as the deadline draw closer. But once I’ve registered, all that stress leaves. Because I’m not longer wondering “if” I’ll go but I start planning for “when” I go. So let me help you get rid of some stress. Since you’re on this website, you are showing an interest in nonprofit fundraising and marketing. So I wanted to write to you about the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference. I love this conference so much, I risk never getting this email to ..read more

Strong donor relationships help your nonprofit build robust supporter networks, make donors happy to support your mission, and foster lasting support. Whether you’re setting up a gratitude system or meeting with donors one-on-one, it’s essential to make these connections and show your appreciation for their contributions. One frequently missed step in this process is optimizing the donor experience. Donors should walk away from any interaction with your organization feeling connected to and excited about your mission. These interactions can be anything from attending a fundraising ev ..read more

Learning grant writing is a rite of passage for many nonprofit professionals. Many of us first dive into grant writing with minimal (or even no) prior experience. Writing a grant proposal might seem like a big, scary task. After all, you’re presenting your organization for judgment with real money and support on the line during a time when many nonprofits are seeing drops in their donation numbers. While this is all true, it’s important to remember that grant writing is really just a series of steps, not a mysterious process that results in money for some lucky nonprofits and rejections f ..read more

In our most recent nonprofit leadership study, we looked at how different leadership styles affected a nonprofit’s culture of philanthropy. We chose four styles that had a large body of academic research behind them: servant leadership, transformational leadership, charismatic leadership, and transactional leadership. Servant Leaders Most Consistently Associated with Growing Philanthropy The researchers defined a culture of philanthropy as one in which both the CEO/Executive Director and others in the organization, like the board and staff, participated in fundraising. In the report, the res ..read more

This guest post is from Rebecca Rogriquez, an expert in helping nonprofit startups. She’s even written the book for nonprofit startups “The Nonprofit Workbook.” You can find out more about Rebecca on her website at: www.forthephilanthropist.com. She also runs the Nonprofit Academy training called “From Start Up to Strong – Setting Expectations for Newly Formed Entities Serving the Greater Common Good.” From Idea & Start-Up to Strong & Sustainable by Rebecca Rodgriquez According to Giving USA, in 2022, Americans gave $499.33 billion to charity, signifying a 3.4% decrease from 2021, when ..read more