Sometime in your career youâll likely be approached by a donor who wants to give you a gift you probably shouldnât accept. It may be due to the fact it comes with strings. Or liabilities. Or expenses. Or youâre just not staffed up to do the work required to comply [...]
The question came again yesterday â a non-profit leader asked, âHow can we possibly fundraise in this semi-pandemic environment?â My steadfast answer is a question in return, âHow can you possibly consider not fundraising right now?â To be more direct, your organization must fundraise, especially now. Even more than that, [...]
High-dollar donors are likely to give as much or more now than before the pandemic, according to a new donor confidence study sponsored by CampaignCounsel.org. We believe this means you should continue your fundraising efforts even though the landscape seems to have changed and even though you may be scared. In the July [...]
What you donât do right now will come back to bite you in the butt. Because you exist within a fast-moving, competitive environment. If youâre not actively cooking things up youâll have little nourishment to offer. So, whatever is on your back burner, move it to the forefront and get [...]
In Part 1 of this four-part series I introduced a â4-Step Strategy to Cure Your Current Fundraising Headache.â FORWARD FACE Equilibrium: Balance your fundraising strategies FUEL the Machine: Charge your annual contributions income engine FUMES Provide Accelerant: Prepare for âretirementâ FUTURE Proof the Mission: Leave a legacy for generations to [...]
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 isn't sure how hard to press a donor after they say "no" to an ask. Dear Charity Clairity, Is [...]
Time to get your bearings so you donât lose your way amidst the chaos with your current fundraising strategies. Things are getting tougher. Partly because this doesnât feel new anymore. The early urge to jump in with both feet to do something â a virtual event, a crisis appeal, a [...]
How you think and feel about money is called your money mindset, and it directly impacts how much money you will have and how much money you will raise. You, your board or staff may have beliefs about money so ingrained in you, you donât realize what they are. These [...]
Fundraising hasnât been this hard since the Great Recession. It seems like just about everyone, everywhere is exhausted by the two pandemics facing our country, coronavirus and racism. There is an underlying sense that we are in the midst of a great shift in mindset and values. All while the [...]
All the best strategies youâre innovating now, and having success with, should be continued as you fundraise mid-pandemic. This is your pandemic silver lining! Itâs taken this quarantine crisis for some nonprofits to do what they should have done before. Stop looking for bad news and reasons to not fundraise [...]
Often, the biggest obstacle to board fundraising is their fear of failure. Unless fundraising is part of their day job, they probably do not understand what will happen once they open the door. They may worry any request will feel transactional because they do not understand donor cultivation and stewardship. [...]
During the age of COVID-19, many nonprofits, especially those that have been focused on growth, paused their fundraising strategies to deal with the results of the pandemic. Social distancing guidelines made in-person fundraising nearly impossible to do safely, and the economic downturn limited the philanthropic gifts individuals are willing to [...]