Many nonprofits, schools, and other mission-based organizations rely on fundraising strategies to support their programming and day-to-day operations. As a fundraising professional at one of these types of organizations, you likely have a network of dedicated donors to help fund your mission.  Yet hosting the same old fundraising activities time and time again can lead to decreased engagement and donor burnout. And in a time when many other groups are doing the same thing as you are, switching up your fundraisers and taking your efforts to the next level is critical.  If you’re looki ..read more

Finding the right donor prospects is probably harder than actually asking for donations! You have a wonderful, unique project. Everyone else in your field is getting grants and donations (it seems). But you have searched and searched, and you just cannot find the right donors or grants. The time has come to breathe, reset, and try some new tricks. Here are a few tips to refocus and find the right funding opportunities for your organization.   1. To Find Your Prospects, Stop Trying to Find Your Prospects One of the best way to find new donor prospects and new grant opportunities is to foc ..read more

Can a viral campaign make a positive influence on your nonprofit organization? By understanding how viral videos operate, you will be better equipped to decide if they are the right marketing product for your group. Have you heard of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? The popular YouTube sensation hit social media in 2014 and raised over 1150 million dollars for charity. That level of interest in charity from a viral social media campaign surprised many in the nonprofit sector who hadn’t realized the full potential of  viral campaigns. Popular Viral Videos and What Makes Videos Go Viral The A ..read more

Raffles and auctions can be great fundraisers. They depend almost entirely on what prizes and other items you get to raffle or auction though! First and foremost, the items you raffle off should be free, low cost, or donated so you make a good profit. It also has to align with your mission (or not be against it). It definitely should be easy to get! You don’t want to spend exorbitant amounts of time searching for free stuff, just to make a few bucks. Your time is valuable.  So how do you get free prizes and items for your auction or raffle? And where do you get them from? These are the qu ..read more

Nearly 57 million students enrolled in school in the United States in 2019, according to the National Center of Education Statistics. Only around 10% of those students were in private school.  Many families cannot afford to send their children to private schools, even if they have special needs. Even higher-income families may decide not to allocate tuition resources to their children because many of our American public schools are great!  The coronavirus has completely changed how parents view education, however. Having to all of a sudden homeschool or supervise online learning for ..read more

Fundraising thermometers are great donation tracking tools that work in real-time at events, on your virtual fundraising page, or internally with your fundraising team. Here is a quick guide on why they work, how and when to use them, and where to find some free sample templates.  Why Fundraising Thermometers Work They are visual.  Social media researchers have found that people only retain 10 to 20 percent of what they read online. If the text is paired with a visual, however, the retention goes up to 65 percent. Users have a more favorable response to information with visuals as w ..read more

Nearly every charity, nonprofit or social enterprise is eligible for at least a few grants. Writing and submitting proposals can be incredibly time-consuming! That is why it is very important to make sure you spend time researching and identifying the best opportunities first. How do you find grants, however? Where do you look for those best opportunities for your particular project or charitable cause?  Here we try to help you understand what your options are to find the best grants.   Grants.gov for Federal Grant Listings If you want to see what is available from the US feder ..read more

There are many circumstances when getting people together to host a fundraising event simply isn’t feasible, whether it be social distancing during a pandemic or just simply geographic distance. Luckily, there are plenty of ways you can bring people together in unique ways to generate excitement for your fundraising efforts! In this article, we will highlight eight virtual fundraising ideas you might want to consider for your next campaign.     1. Virtual Movie Night Gathering with friends and family to share the experience of watching a movie doesn’t have to happen in a single livi ..read more

Following is a sample donation request letter for local museums. Feel free to copy it and modify it for your fundraising needs. For any other use, please contact us. (More fundraising letters and templates…) You may also like: Sample Fundraising Letter – Community Fund for People in Need Sample Donation Request Letter – Storm Victims Sample Wording for 5 Components of a Successful Fundraising Letter Maintaining Respect and Compassion When Fundraising for an Individual     Dear valued member, Thank you for your dedicated support of X Museum over the years. You know that we rely on yo ..read more

Evaluate and compare as many different products and companies as you like with this printable PDF! This checklist offers an at-a-glance overview, logistical and planning considerations, and company-specific questions to help you decide which product fundraiser is best for your group. To find the right product fundraiser for your group, answer questions such as: What does your group represent? When are the funds needed? Do you need to store the products for any length of time? Does the company take returns of leftover items?   Going through the questions on this checklist will help you gai ..read more