Have you enjoyed the Virginia Symphony or visited Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest? Have you ever rushed your child to the Emergency Department in the middle of the night? Have you donated canned goods to your local foodbank at the holidays or volunteered at The Salvation Army? These services, a part of the fabric of what makes every… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Donors
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 »
Giving USA 2018: Giving reached over $400 billion!
Powered by a booming stock market and a strong economy, charitable giving by American individuals, bequests, foundations and corporations to U.S. charities surged to an estimated $410.02 billion in 2017, according to Giving USA 2018: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2017, released today. Giving USA is the longest-running and most comprehensive report of its kind… Read more »
Nonprofit Sector’s Impact on US Economy – What it Means for You
A recently released study found nonprofits are the third largest workforce in the country behind only manufacturing and retail. According to the report Nonprofits: America’s Third Largest Workforce, from Johns Hopkins Nonprofit Economic Data Project, the nonprofit sector in America employs 11.9 million people. As someone who has devoted my career to the nonprofit sector, this is… Read more »
Decoding Donor-Advised Funds: From Data to Practical
Donor-advised funds began in the 1930s, but in recent years these funds have become the fastest growing vehicle in philanthropy. Contributions to donor-advised funds grew at three times the rate of total charitable giving in 2016 according to the National Philanthropic Trust. Donor-advised funds defined: Donor-advised funds (DAF) are donor-established philanthropic funds that are maintained, operated… Read more »
Transparency and Stability: Keys to Surviving Criticism, Change, or Even Worse Scandal
Nonprofits, philanthropy and fundraising have been my life for a long time now. During this time, I have been through periods of growth and economic downturns, leadership resignations, and even some times of crisis. As I sat down to think about the common threads that have helped organizations weather the ups and downs, the common… Read more »
How to win over—and keep—grant funders
Foundations and corporations are the same as other major donors—except when they aren’t. All should be cultivated and stewarded in similar ways, with consistent work to build a relationship. But while you communicate directly with major donors, you must go through representatives when dealing with a grant funder. What can you do to ensure your request… 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 »
