I’ve offered you checklists, FAQs and e-guides with templates for writing donor-centric annual appeals. I stick by them as a place to begin. They offer an outline of all the elements an effective appeal should include. In this blog post, I’m going to talk about how to evaluate those annual [...]
This post on adopting a culture of philanthropy is part six in a six-part series. Read part one, part two, part three, part four, and part five. In part one of this series, I outlined my top six fundraising strategies for 2021: Investing in digital-first fundraising and marketing communications Mastering [...]
Giving to religion-based organizations often tops lists of philanthropic statistics. In fact, in the recent Giving USA 2020 report, donors gave more than $131 billion to religion-based organizations in the United States in 2020. Nonprofit professionals working in this sector of philanthropy cite a strong belief in their organization’s mission [...]
If you’re a fundraiser bemoaning the lack of your nonprofit's culture of philanthropy, you don’t get off that easily. You’re part of the problem. In fact, you may BE the problem. Why is that? Because you are the one person, or one department, actually charged with living and breathing philanthropy [...]
My last article of this two-part series, “Nonprofit Giving Trends and Future Fundraising Strategy,” began a discussion of smart fundraising strategies to take advantage of best practices and current trends. It covered broad brush strategies all nonprofits today should incorporate into their donor fundraising/marketing mix. Today, I want to offer [...]
Nonprofit board service is a serious matter! It is a huge commitment that requires devotion and proactive effort like making a cake from scratch for your son’s 10th birthday party. A big deal indeed! Most people want to serve because they have passion for a cause or mission which is [...]
Way too often I hear from disgruntled nonprofit staff who feel their organization doesn’t live up to its own nonprofit values. They talk a good game; they just don’t walk it. Alas, I know from whence they speak. Having worked in the nonprofit trenches for 30 years before hanging out [...]
“People do not give to the most urgent needs, but rather they support causes that mean something to them.” This is the key finding from a report done by the Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy at the University of Kent: “How Donors Choose Charities.” They begin their study from [...]
Higher salary. Nicer car. An assistant. Perks. Nonprofit C-level executives are compensated better than their coworkers. There is a definitely a wide wage gap between senior managers and fundraisers, program managers and those in the field. But does that automatically mean senior managers should be expected to donate at a [...]
Giving makes people happy! I want all nonprofit fundraisers to get this straight, once and for all. Never, ever feel bad about asking people for a charitable gift. Especially those who are already affiliated with your organization so you know they have a positive association with you. People are always [...]
Never deprive someone the chance to become a philanthropist There are plenty of reasons to oppose employee giving: Pressure to give. Power dynamic. Staff already give through hours of unpaid overtime. Employees are underpaid. Disproportionately affects the lowest paid employees. In last week’s post, I looked at five reasons why [...]
I’m about to hit you with a big Truth Bomb: Your donors are confused during this period of philanthropy triage. The past year changed everything they thought they knew about the world – and that includes you, your nonprofit’s place in the world, and your nonprofit’s mission among their list [...]