If you’ve worked in the nonprofit world more than a year, you might already be weary of the pressure to maximize year-end gifts. It’s not that different for your donors, who are often bombarded with requests as December 31 looms closer. The way you communicate your message is key to cutting through the clutter and… Read more »
Do you trust them? Philanthropy in action
Trust-Based Philanthropy in Action By Wendy McGrady, Executive Vice President Much has already been written in response to MacKenzie Scott’s December distribution of over $4 billion in unrestricted gifts to 384 organizations across the country. Rightfully so — such incredible generosity should be covered and celebrated! Her significant, unexpected gifts will certainly be transformational to… Read more »
Words to Give By: 5 phrasing tricks that could increase your donations
We all know good writing is critical in fundraising, but even a well-written appeal might leave money on the table if a more strategic word or phrase could have been substituted. So how can your organization ensure you are packaging your message in the most strategic way? Luckily, a variety of studies have been done to determine which… Read more »
Clients v. Donors: How to write without making a wrong
While we hate to disillusion anyone right after the holidays, I need to set the record straight about a certain mythical figure. You might have been sending letters to it for years. But unfortunately, there’s no such thing as… the General Public. All too often, nonprofit communications are written for this “audience,” and the message… 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 »
Does Your Donation Matter? How giving is affecting nonprofits
Does Your Donation Matter? How giving is affecting nonprofits in Hampton Roads In this month’s special Giving Issue of Inside Business, Keith Curtis had the opportunity to discuss the needs, challenges, funding and future of four important Hampton Roads nonprofits with each organization’s leader. Michele Anderson, president and CEO of the United Way of South… Read more »
Your Future Volunteer Fundraisers
After reading “Empowering Young Children Through Philanthropy,” in this month’s AFP magazine Advancing Philanthropy, I spent some time thinking about the possibility and power of this concept. My Curtis Group colleagues and I do a lot of speaking to fundraising professionals, community leaders, and boards. The most frequent questions we hear from these interactions are about fundraising leadership: “How do we… Read more »
7 mistakes to avoid in your year-end fundraising
It’s fall, so if you haven’t started planning your year-end appeals, you’re late—but not too late! Over 40% of giving occurs in last four months of year. But Google has found that donors begin their research in August, and that online donation-related searches increase 30% from August to September. Of course, December is still king for when… Read more »
5 Steps to Success for #GivingTuesday
It’s hard to believe, but we are only five weeks away from #GivingTuesday. This year’s national giving day will be celebrated Tuesday, December 1. Each year, the online giving phenomenon grows significantly. On #GivingTuesday 2014, over $26 million was given—and online donations rose 36% from #GivingTuesday 2013. The Curtis Group is excited to see how… Read more »
