As a follow-up to last week’s post in which we offered some general advice from “real world” funders on how nonprofits should operate, this week we’d like to share with you some red flags that funders see when it comes to requests. The following are a list of no-no’s when it comes to putting together… Read more »
The Right Approach to Board Solicitation
Recently, we’ve had a lot of people ask about the best way to solicit leadership gifts from board members. As with any major gift solicitation (because that’s what you’re aiming for, right?), it’s always best to make an in-person ask. Having a board member solicit another board member in-person, is hands-down the most effective way… Read more »
Rethinking Your Annual Giving Approach
Last week Wendy and I attended an interesting presentation on annual giving at our Hampton Roads AFP chapter meeting. Kim Sperling, Director of Development at the Mason School of Business at William and Mary, revealed “Ten Truths and a Myth about Annual Giving,” which reiterated much of the advice we’ve been giving recently around the… Read more »
6 Practical Steps to Grow Your Endowment
How to Grow Your Endowment (and why you should put in the effort) By Abby Webster, Vice President In the midst of what has been a constantly changing economic, philanthropic, and social climate, a nonprofit’s commitment to financial stability and diversified revenue streams has become increasingly important to fulfilling its mission. One way that many nonprofits are… Read more »
Maximizing Donor Retention: Key Findings from latest FEP report
Making (Dollars and) Sense of the Fundraising Effectiveness Project’s Latest Report By Ginny Reynolds Badgett, Associate Consultant Each quarter the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) releases aggregate views of the current year’s fundraising data. Much of the data collected and analyzed focuses on donors – donor size, donation count and type (new, repeat or recaptured). These reports… Read more »
Ensuring Equity in Philanthropy
The Potential Impact of the Affirmative Action Supreme Court Decision By Wendy McGrady, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Whatever your opinion on the recent Affirmative Action Supreme Court decision, it is impossible to ignore it’s potential impact on philanthropy. I recently returned from the Giving Institute Summer Symposium where I had… Read more »
Building Your Donor Pipeline for Major Gifts
Building Your Donor Pipeline for Major Gifts By Victoria Dietz, Executive Vice President What does it mean to have a pipeline of donors? In its simplest form, your pipeline is a structured way for you to convert prospective donors into current donors and to secure increasingly generous support from those current donors. At its… Read more »
How to Raise More Dollars by Year-End
Six Tips to Help You Raise More by Year-End By Abby Weber, Consultant This year is flying. Fall is here. Pumpkin spice lattes are in every ad. I have seen winter decorations in the aisles and folks are well on their way to booking Thanksgiving travel. What does that mean for your development shop? It means that now… Read more »
A Last-Minute Plan for Year-End Fundraising Success
If you feel behind for the end of year fundraising push, here are four things you can do in the next two months to raise more. 1. Engage Your Board – When you meet with each board member to ask for their meaningful personal gift, engage them. Consider their strengths, then enlist them to make calls, set… Read more »
Recorded Webinar – Cultivation and Stewardship in Today’s Fundraising Climate
As we move into yet another season filled with uncertainty, we are all having to function under a new fundraising normal. This new normal still relies on the same successful fundraising cycle, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, BUT, it now more than ever before depends on creativity and a combination of virtual and in-person approaches. This… Read more »
