A Jan. 11 USA Today article excerpted from The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that last-minute gifts boosted some charities’ holiday fundraising. A third of the nearly 400 nonprofit groups that responded to a poll in mid-December said donations since November were higher than they had been at the same time in 2008. Of 181 charities… Read more »
“20 years of work we love”: That was our anniversary tagline for 2009. And what a crazy year it was. Along with helping clients build capacity, train their boards, and meet campaign goals, we were called on to make an additional 32 presentations at conferences and events from Atlantic City to New Orleans. Between that… Read more »
This month, three of our clients each received major gifts of $100,000, $225,000, and $250,000, all because they were willing to follow the five “rights.” As we always say, it’s important to have the right people ask the right prospect at the right time for the right amount and the right reason. A year and a… Read more »
Over the last week, two new reports about fundraising point toward the light at the end of the economic tunnel. In GuideStar’s annual Nonprofit Economic Survey, half of their respondents saw contributions decline over the first nine months of 2009, compared to the same period in 2008. No surprise there. But nearly two-thirds were hopeful about… Read more »
For the last five years, a good friend of mine has given $750 a year to a nonprofit that serves people in need. It’s a worthy cause, no doubt, and my friend understands that the need has grown. He noted that in the last six weeks, he’s received three direct-mail appeals from the organization. But… Read more »
With Thanksgiving upon us, it seems appropriate to talk about the importance of thanking donors. Everyone likes to be thanked for a gift. When it’s a charitable gift, donors also appreciate knowing what their money helped accomplish. It’s important that development professionals and their board members are doing simple but powerful things like sending handwritten thank-you… Read more »
A client recently noted that since they didn’t have any wealthy constituents, planned giving probably wouldn’t work for their nonprofit. While the latest research shows that people who earn $100,000 and above are more likely to leave a charitable bequest, don’t forget about those loyal folks who have donated continuously—even small, annual gifts—to your organization. Frequency… Read more »
Just a quick note about some articles you might find helpful at these links: New York Times’ special section on giving The Wall Street Journal article, “What’s Wrong With Charitable Giving — and How to Fix It” Philanthropy Journal’s “‘Tis the Season to Engage Donors” by our own Keith Curtis.
It’s ironic that as the country prepares to celebrate National Philanthropy Day on Nov. 15 (the local event is Nov. 12), CNN recently added “fundraiser” to its list of the “Top 15 Stressful Jobs That Pay Badly.” “No matter the cause,” the article reports, “asking people to part with their money is not easy. And it… Read more »
A new report just released by the Foundation Center says that in 2010, foundation giving will drop more than was predicted earlier this year. Half of 583 grantmakers surveyed said they will keep their giving steady at 2009’s reduced levels. Of the rest, 26 percent expect to decrease their giving, 17 percent will increase it, and… Read more »
