Fundraising During Uncertain Times Demands Strategy

Posted , by Keith Curtis, President & Founder. Topic: Boards of Directors, Crisis Fundraising, Donors, Fundraising, Gift Solicitation, Major Gifts Programs, Making the Ask, Nonprofit Management.

Fundraising During Uncertain Times Demands Strategy By Keith Curtis, President & Founder of The Curtis Group In February, everything was still percolating. Now, however, the coronavirus and oil industry events are impacting our economy and, more importantly for philanthropy, the market. We are hearing from clients and the community with questions about what fundraising could… Read more »

12 Tips to Increase Year-End Fundraising

Posted , by Abby Weber, Consultant. Topic: Development Plan, Donor Acknowledgement, Donor Communication, Fundraising, High-Net-Worth Individuals, Major Donors, Year-End Giving.

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 »

Building Fundraising Capacity – Recorded Presentation

Posted , by Victoria Dietz, Vice President. Topic: Campaigns & Campaign Planning, Capital Campaigns, Fundraising, Major Donors, Preparing for a Campaign, Professional Development, Webinars and Videos.

In case you missed Victoria Dietz‘ engaging webinar on building fundraising capacity that she did in conjunction with Bloomerang earlier this month, we have a recorded version. Be it in major campaign mode, or focusing on your annual fund, how do you build your internal capacity to see better results? Victoria focused on practical, actionable… Read more »

Fundraising Trends To Improve Donor Relations and Fundraising Strategy

Posted , by Victoria Dietz, Vice President. Topic: Donor Communication, Donor Retention, Donors, High-Net-Worth Individuals, Major Donors, Major Gifts Programs, Philanthropy Events.

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 »

Q&A: How to choose a consultant for your planning study

Posted , by Wendy McGrady, Executive Vice President, and Victoria Dietz, Vice President. Topic: Preparing for a Campaign.

Your organization has decided to conduct a planning study before embarking on a campaign—you’ve already made the first smart choice!  A campaign planning study, also known as a feasibility study, will tell you whether or not a campaign is advisable, how much money you could realistically raise and what your strategy would be to raise that… Read more »

7 mistakes to avoid in your year-end fundraising

Posted , by Victoria Dietz, Vice President. Topic: Year-End Giving.

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 »

The Giving Institute’s Eight Steps for Selecting Fundraising Counsel

Posted , by Erin Phillips, Marketing Director and Campaign Consultant. Topic: Fundraising, Nonprofit Management.

The Curtis Group has been a member of The Giving Institute for nearly five years. Established in 1935, The Giving Institute has been the thought leader membership organization for fundraising consultants and nonprofit services firms. One of the many resources they offer to nonprofit leaders is a list of the eight steps on how to… Read more »

Tracking the True Cost of Fundraising

Posted , by Natalie McGaughey, Development Coordinator. Topic: Fundraising.

Earlier this spring, The Giving Institute hosted an interesting webinar on “The Cost of Fundraising” presented by fellow Giving Institute member, Melissa Brown of Melissa Brown and Associates. Melissa began by pointing out the fact that there are a lot of gaps that exist in fundraising costs today. In fact, the majority of organizations only track… Read more »

Hopeful News for 2010 Fundraising

Posted , by Keith Curtis. Topic: Philanthropy Research & Events.

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 »

Emerging Trend: The Case for Growth Capital

Posted , by Wendy McGrady, Vice President. Topic: Funds and Funders, Philanthropy Research & Events.

At The Giving Institute’s November board meeting, Rodney Christopher of the F.B. Heron Foundation and Richard Shaw of Youth Villages delivered a thought-provoking presentation on an emerging trend in philanthropy called growth capital. The basic premise the speakers suggested is that healthy organizations can achieve greater success through investments of growth capital. Foundations seeking measurable,… Read more »