A Day in the Life of an Executive Director During These Uncertain Times How Shawn Puller Keeps Garth Newel Music Center Moving Forward By Marissa Monell, Client Manager, The Curtis Group, and Shawn Puller, Executive Director of Garth Newel Music Center in Warm Springs, VA We are excited to continue “A Day in the Life… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Donor Communication
Do These 9 Things While You Can’t Meet with Donors
By Victoria Dietz Vice President During these incredibly challenging and uncertain times, we want our nonprofit community to know that we are here to help make you successful. I have spoken to many of you, and I am in awe of your creativity and commitment. Through ongoing dialogues and teamwork, we will not only survive… Read more »
Create an Inspiring Annual Report
Create An Inspiring Annual Report from The Curtis Group on Vimeo. In 3 minutes, Executive Vice President Wendy McGrady and Vice President Victoria Dietz share practical insights and tips to help you create the best possible annual report for your nonprofit. An annual report should be concise and tell a story. How can you do those two things… Read more »
Donor-Advised Funds Webinar
What You Need to Know about Donor-Advised Funds in 2020 It’s not too late. Even if you missed the live webinar on donor-advised funds, we recorded it as well as printed the slides that accompanied the presentation. Keith Curtis and Jeff Giannotto delve into the details of donor-advised funds. You can learn about the… Read more »
12 Tips to Increase Year-End Fundraising
I recently had the privilege of presenting with my colleague Abbie Hacker to a group of nonprofit leaders about maximizing year-end fundraising. While the current weather may suggest otherwise, December will be here before we know it. Now is the time to prepare for your year-end fundraising to be sure your organization is ready to… Read more »
Four Ways to Engage Donors in the New Era of Philanthropy
Four Ways to Engage Donors in the New Era of Philanthropy Key Takeaways from this year’s Virginia Fund Raising Institute By Marissa Monell Client Manager Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend this year’s Virginia Fund Raising Institute(VFRI) in Richmond, Virginia. Whether or not you were able to be there in person this… Read more »
Giving USA 2019: Giving reached $427 billion amid a complex year!
On the heels of a decade of unprecedented growth, we celebrate the year for what it was – a complex year with incredible generosity. I could spend hours talking to you (but I won’t) about studies, statistics, shifts in giving patterns, the impact of the economy, the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, public policy, and… Read more »
Retain Your Donors in 5 Steps
I had the privilege of presenting at the spring conference for the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington last week. One of the things I spent some time discussing was the importance of focusing on donor retention. In my opinion, too many nonprofits are stuck in this cycle of having to acquire a huge… Read more »
Speak Their Language: Help Donors Make the Best Possible Gift
There is a lot at play right now with last year’s tax law changes. No one knows how changes will affect giving this year. What we do know is that we need to talk to our donors about options for giving. More than likely, the terms and definitions offered below will be familiar to you… Read more »
Fundraising Trends To Improve Donor Relations and Fundraising Strategy
Earlier this month, we enjoyed catching up with old friends and making new ones at the 2018 VFRI conference. This year in particular was incredible as I had the opportunity to chair the conference. I was inspired by the passion that my fellow fundraisers have for their organizations and for our profession. I was invigorated by… Read more »

