Recently several people have asked me about prospect research—how to find and manage new potential donors. After asking some questions, it became clear that these organizations were thinking more about new prospects than they were about renewing or increasing past donors. When I mentioned this to Keith, he said that in the last three trainings… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Donors
Tuesday Fundraising Tip
In the last couple of tips, we’ve focused on how your board can help raise money during the economic recovery. This week’s tip, our fifth in the series, is all about donors. To remain a philanthropic priority during the recovery, you have to keep your current donors close to you. Some nonprofits mistakenly believe that challenging… Read more »
Even Online, It’s All About Relationships
At the Hampton Roads Institute for Nonprofit Leadership Conference last Friday, I went to a good workshop by our Giving Institute colleague Jay Love of eTapestry. It was called “The Internet Unveiled: The Newest Tools & Website Trends for Relationship Building,” with the key words being “relationship building.” Jay’s message was to make sure your online… Read more »
How Much Should You Rely on Corporate Giving?
A Jan. 14 article in Business Week discussed the decline in corporate philanthropy during the economic downturn. It also pointed out that companies are giving more strategically, often contributing to causes that will raise their visibility. This is another good reason to diversify your funding sources. As Keith noted in our last blog post, corporate… Read more »
How One Couple’s Call Created a Free Clinic
Last week we announced a new blog feature that will showcase the ways a few volunteers have made a huge difference in their community. Here’s our first story. In 1995, Dr. Jim Shaw and his wife, Cooka, chose to answer a persistent call they were feeling to provide health care for the uninsured. First, they… Read more »
Donor Stewardship: Need Your Thoughts
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 »
Are Donors on Your Gratitude List?
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 »
The Latest on Foundation Grantmaking
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 »
Rules of Engagement
With the economy improving, the good news is that end-of-year donations may be up over 2008. But don’t count on your year-end appeal to save you from a down year in fundraising. The Chronicle of Philanthropy just reported on how several charities are approaching fundraising season. One nonprofit director said that because their first year-end… Read more »
The Case for Emotion
One of the most rewarding aspects of my job with The Curtis Group is writing case statements for our clients, for two reasons. First, as a writer, it allows me to get lost in a project for a bit, to “zen” on it, as creative folks say. Suddenly the day is over and I don’t even… Read more »
