I once bought a home when I lived in Las Vegas years ago. The housing market was prime at the time and it was a starter home for my young family. We just moved to Las Vegas. Knowing absolutely no one, we chose our realtor randomly. We closed the loan, [...]
Proper donor stewardship is incredibly important for any nonprofit in the best of times — it makes your donors feel appreciated and engaged, establishes a stronger emotional tie with your organization and could make or break their decision to make another gift. In the worst of times — say, for [...]
Now is a time to communicate more, not less, to sustain and build mutually beneficial relationships with constituents. People feel isolated and frustrated about the fact they aren't having the impact they used to have, in business or their community. You can help alleviate their exasperation! Right now is still the [...]
If you’re going dark on your donors right now out of fear – real, misplaced or some combination thereof – you’re doing everyone a disservice. Your organization, and all those who rely on your continued existence, will be left in the lurch without donor support. I mean it! Donors don’t [...]
Fundraising is the backbone of nonprofit operations. It’s how you generate the revenue you need to keep the doors open and to fund your programming. Fundraising software is designed to help your organization stay organized and make raising money easier. Choosing a provider can be challenging though—especially when you’re [...]
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 [...]
Love it or hate it, whether you use it or not, the reality is that Facebook has changed the face of the world permanently. Whether it be connecting with friends and family, watching funny videos, or checking out news and causes, 2.9 billion people turn to Facebook monthly to get [...]
This article was originally published during the 2008 financial crisis. It has been republished here with permission from the Panas estate. It's a puzzling phenomenon. It may seem counterintuitive, but in tough financial times people actually give more. But they give to organizations they care greatly about. Those organizations that [...]
Individual giving is the backbone of a diversified fundraising program, with over 70% of all charitable gifts made by individuals. And, major gifts are the ultimate in transformational engagement. What many may not realize is that major gifts can be done in any sized fundraising shop. The misnomer that you [...]
I almost included this among my new year’s resolutions articles last month as “Resolved: I Will Help My Board Members Feel Happy.” Is that a daily mantra for you? Regrettably, too many nonprofits have the unfortunate tendency to demonize their board rather than love and support them. We whine and [...]
Raising all the money you need to fully fund your budget doesn’t happen by accident - You need a fundraising plan. The bad news is that most small nonprofits don’t have a fundraising plan. The good news is that planning doesn’t have to be hard, complicated, or elusive. It can [...]
In Part 1 (Boards Need Staff to Support Scary Fundraising Role) of this two-part series about helping nonprofit board members overcome their fear of fundraising, we looked at reframing ‘yucky’ fundraising with ‘loving’ philanthropy. Since it’s the role of staff to step up to the plate to help donors understand [...]