The search for new donors can be costly and time-consuming … and let’s face it, as an arts and culture nonprofit, you’d rather be focusing on programs. What if I told you that’s the same place you should be looking for donors? Because the best prospects are already right under your nose, and already passionate… Read more »
Resolve to focus on major gifts: 4 tips to get you started
I love New Year’s. I love New Year’s resolutions or really any reason to think fresh, set new goals and take stock of progress. If you’re like me, you’ve probably made one too many New Year’s resolutions you didn’t keep. What are your goals for your development program next year? If you want to focus… Read more »
Moving into Campaign: When to Say Go!
The latest edition of The Curtis Group e-newsletter, Raising Money: Winter 2014, outlined the four phases of a capital campaign. Additionally, our team recently hosted a webinar and conducted a training session through Tidewater Community College’s Academy for Nonprofit Excellence—all focused on campaigns and campaign readiness. Now, we will explore the transition from Phase One,… Read more »
Board Members as Askers, Ambassadors and Advocates
In our 24-year history, The Curtis Group has spent significant time advising on how nonprofit management can work most successfully with their boards. We hear it a lot: one of the biggest challenges nonprofit executives face is getting their volunteer leadership to help raise money and a common complaint from board members is they aren’t… Read more »
Will Donors Give Less if Taxed More?
A recent article in Philanthropy Matters examined the current Obama administration’s proposal on changes in charitable deductions for taxpayers with adjusted gross income over $250,000 for couples and $200,000 for individuals. This proposal suggests reducing the value of itemized charitable deductions from 35% to 28%, and raising the marginal income tax from 35% to 39.6%… Read more »
Do you have a Succession Plan in Place?
Most often people think succession plans are something corporations need to have, but nonprofits must also consider them. While the nonprofit sector employs approximately 61.2 million full and part-time employees in this country, it is an unfortunate reality that our industry has a somewhat high turnover rate. According to the 2010 Employment Trends Survey, a… Read more »
Seven Habits of Highly Effective Fundraisers: Notes from Virginia Fundraising Institute 2012
Last week The Curtis Group sponsored and attended the annual conference hosted by the Virginia Fundraising Institute (VFRI) in Richmond, VA. We have been involved in VFRI for nearly a decade and we always look forward to this gathering of fundraising leaders from across the Commonwealth. The conference, composed primarily of development professionals, provides an… Read more »
From the Donor’s Perspective
As a part of our daily work we spend a lot of time listening to donors share their candid impressions of our client’s organizations as a whole; everything from the effectiveness of the staff and board to the way they are cultivated. Through the planning study, development assessment and capacity building interview process we learn… Read more »
Building Excellence Grantees Reflect on Development Successes and Challenges
Earlier this week, The Hampton Roads Community Foundation gathered past grantees of its Building Excellence program to share ideas and discuss development challenges. The gathering not only produced very interesting conversation but some great ideas that we thought we’d share. Board engagement was a reoccurring theme that presented itself over the course of the lunch…. Read more »
Rethinking Your Annual Giving Approach
Last week Wendy and I attended an interesting presentation on annual giving at our Hampton Roads AFP chapter meeting. Kim Sperling, Director of Development at the Mason School of Business at William and Mary, revealed “Ten Truths and a Myth about Annual Giving,” which reiterated much of the advice we’ve been giving recently around the… Read more »
