You know when you’re on an airplane and they run through the safety instructions? What do they tell you to do if you’re with small children and the oxygen masks come down? Put on your own mask first! You can’t help others unless you first take care of yourself. This [...]
Our Ask An Expert series features real questions answered by Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE, our very own Fundraising Coach, also known as Charity Clairity. Today's question comes from a fundraiser who had to cancel an event and would like to ask ticket buyers to convert their purchase into a donation. [...]
It’s not insensitive to ask right now. It’s totally appropriate. Just as always, people can decline. But don’t deny them the opportunity! Most every donor has in their heart a desire to help and do good deeds – and sometimes this desire is especially strong during times like the ones [...]
How will you and your nonprofit make it through these difficult times? Two words: EMPATHY. INNOVATION. These are the two qualities most needed in today’s topsy-turvy world. I’d like you to think of them as your newly essential communication and fundraising strategies. Apply them to everything you do for the [...]
In Part 1 of this two-parter we discussed why you need to build a culture of philanthropy as a management system. You can’t simply pay lip service to ‘culture of philanthropy.’ It has to become the air in your nonprofit that you breathe. When culture becomes the air in your [...]
I once had a boss who insisted employee morale didn’t matter. She even sent me articles from Harvard Business Review purporting to prove this (if you read them closely, they didn’t). Her insistence on this was directly related to her management style. Top down. Holding information close to the vest. [...]
There's no denying the growing significance of DAFs in the total philanthropy picture. The use of donor-advised funds (DAFs) as a means for individuals to make philanthropic gifts continues to rise. DAFs accounted for 12.7 percent of overall philanthropy in 2018 If you want to grab your piece of the [...]
Our Ask An Expert series features real questions answered by Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE, our very own Fundraising Coach, also known as Charity Clairity. Today's question comes from a fundraiser who wants to raise major gifts to support operations. Dear Charity Clairity, I would love to do major gifts. I [...]
No doubt you know the donor thank you is important. You may not fully grasp how important. I’m here to tell you ‘thank you’ may be the most important element of your entire fundraising strategy. Let that sink in. Gratitude kick starts the process of building relationships and establishes trust. [...]
Our Ask An Expert series features real questions answered by Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE, our very own Fundraising Coach, also known as Charity Clairity. Today's question comes from a fundraiser whose boss doesn't think it's a good idea to promote bequest giving. Dear Charity Clairity, My boss doesn’t think it’s [...]
Just. What a loaded word. It implies something isn’t quite what it should be. Something is barely sufficient. It’s judgmental. And not in a good way. Do you judge your donors in this manner? If you’ve worked in fundraising for more than a nanosecond, I’ll wager you’ve heard someone say [...]
Our Ask An Expert series features real questions answered by Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE, our very own Fundraising Coach, also known as Charity Clairity. Today's question comes from a fundraiser whose capital campaign has hit a brick wall. Dear Charity Clairity, We have started and stopped a capital campaign a [...]