Blog | Quick Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofit Organizations

Campaigns, Direct mail, Donor relations, Individual Giving, Major gifts, Online, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

How to segment and personalize your year-end fundraising campaign

It is year-end campaign planning time. Far too often I see organizations using a blanket approach with their donor base. With a few minor tweaks in their strategy, they can increase their revenues by a third, sometimes even double. What…

Campaigns, Direct mail, Donor relations, Individual Giving, Major gifts, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

How to find new donors for your nonprofit organization

Each year, approximately 10% of your non-profit donor base will attrition naturally through death, moving, or just not giving any longer. Then you add lapsed donors on top of that natural attrition, and you are looking at an eroding donor…

Blog, Direct mail, Donor relations, Individual Giving, Major gifts, Online, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

How to re-engage lapsed donors in your organization

A lapsed donor is one who has lapsed from giving at least a calendar year. They are the most significant donors to focus your efforts on re-engaging since they have already demonstrated an interest in your organization. There are several…

Uncategorized

How to begin attracting new donors to your organization

It is probably not where you initially think! To begin attracting new donors to your organization, you first need to step back and determine a strong and compelling case for support. Without a rationale for giving, you won't be able to attract…

Blog, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

How to prepare for your new fundraising job BEFORE you even start

They offered you the job, you signed the offer letter, and now you are patiently waiting for your start date. Well, believe it or not, your start time begins before you take the job. This pre-start time is the time that you can start to leverage.…

Campaigns, Direct mail, Grant Writing, Individual Giving, Major gifts, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

How to have an immediate impact in your new fundraising position

You have just been offered a job as a Director of Development and now what? Well, over the past twenty years, I have had my share of jobs and have started some fundraising offices within nonprofits as part of my consulting practice. As a…

Campaigns, Capital Campaigns, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

How to ensure the success of your next fundraising campaign

Often, I get asked, "What is the magic behind a successful fundraising campaign?" Well, it is not all magic. There is some science. And, with over twenty years of experience, I am going to share the top tips that have made it all "seem"…

Blog, Campaigns, Capital Campaigns, Donor relations, Individual Giving, Major gifts, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

How to create donor recognition opportunities for your fundraising campaign

An important part of any fundraising campaign is how you plan on recognizing your donors at different giving levels. While donor recognition opportunities do not motivate all donors, the fact is that some are. And, you need to be prepared to…

Campaigns, Direct mail, Donor relations, Individual Giving, Online, Small shop fundraising

How to follow up on your direct mail appeal letter

Do you mail a spring or fall direct mail appeal letter and hope for the best? Well, "a wing and a prayer" is not a strategy. A strategy by definition is a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim. Here are some…

Blog, Campaigns, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

How to calculate your key fundraising metrics

Now that it is development planning season for many with the start of a new fiscal year looming, I am often asked, where do you start first when putting together your development plan and calendar. Well, for me, I start at the beginning.…

Blog, Board development, Campaigns, Capital Campaigns, Donor relations, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

How to engage your Board in fundraising before the ask or the thank you call.

Just this week, I was working with a client, and we were discussing Board member engagement in fund development. The assumption was, ho hum, "they just won't participate." It was then that I came across a blog article outlining all of the…

Blog, Campaigns, Capital Campaigns, Donor relations, Individual Giving, Major gifts, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising, Special Events

How to turn your fundraising event attendees into supportive donors

Spring is the season of Galas or so it seems. And, rightly so, the weather is turning warmer and everyone's thoughts seem to be on getting out after a long winter. I am often asked by organizations who are holding galas or other fundraising…

Blog, Campaigns, Capital Campaigns, Direct mail, Grant Writing, Individual Giving, Major gifts, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

How to create a quick and easy fundraising plan to help you reach your goals

So, maybe you have been operating without a plan up until now. And, that is ok, but it is not strategic, and to meet your goals, you need to have a plan that you follow, monitor, and correct if needed. Here are some simple instructions on…

Blog, Campaigns, Direct mail, Donor relations, Individual Giving, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising, Uncategorized

How your direct mail appeal letter typesetting can help your letter raise more money

One may think that the content or copy of a direct mail appeal letter is King (or Queen), but studies have found that there is something else as equally or maybe even more important than what the letter says. What is that one thing? Typesetting. …

Blog, Campaigns, Capital Campaigns, Individual Giving, Major gifts, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

How you can find prospective donors for even your small nonprofit

One may think that there are only a limited number of donors to go around, but think again. In my work, I assist small to mid-sized organizations in running their first capital campaigns. Many do not have established donor bases to tap into…

Blog, Campaigns, Capital Campaigns, Direct mail, Grant Writing, Individual Giving, Major gifts, Online, Planned Giving, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

How a gift range chart can help you raise more money even in your small nonprofit

One might think that gift range charts are just for large projects such as capital campaigns or for significant fundraising efforts. And, while, yes, there is some truth to that, gift range charts can be used effectively in even the smallest…

Blog, Campaigns, Direct mail, Individual Giving, Major gifts, Planned Giving, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

How to run a successful Mother’s Day fundraising campaign

At the start of Spring, our thoughts turn to flowers, sunshine, and our Mom's! And, for many nonprofit organizations, this is a great direct mail theme and just in time for a Spring appeal. So, how can you maximize this appeal to give your…

Blog, Board development, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

Is it time to close our nonprofit doors?

As a nonprofit organization, you are here to meet a mission to your stakeholders. Maybe long ago, or not so long ago, you were founded to assist a particular group or meet a critical need. And, months go by, years go by, and you are still…

Blog, Campaigns, Capital Campaigns, Donor relations, Individual Giving, Major gifts, Planned Giving

What’s next after your capital campaign feasibility study?

So, your consultant has just finished your capital campaign feasibility study. The report is sitting on your desk, and you are wondering, where do I go from here? Here are some possibilities: The report may recommend that the organization…

Blog, Campaigns, Donor relations, Major gifts, Planned Giving, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

Donor cultivation and stewardship – it’s all unique and one-of-a-kind!

I often get asked from my clients, how many touchpoints do you need to give to a donor at a certain level? And, my answer - it varies. There is some science to the whole matter. In fact, after I conduct a rating and ranking session, I will…

Small shop fundraising, Uncategorized

Characteristics of a good development director

Technical skill or personality, which is most important when hiring a new director of development? That is a great question. And, while ideally, both would be great, that is not always a guarantee. So what do you look for in this case? While…

Blog, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

Do you SWOT before accepting a job offer?

How do you make that decision to accept your next position? Do you go by with what your heart feels? Well, there is some importance to listening to your "heart," "intuition" or "gut" when making decisions like this, there is also an important…

Campaigns, Individual Giving, Major gifts, Planning, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

More than just a monetary number – the capital campaign feasibility study

There are quite a number of groups seeking to test the feasibility of a possible capital campaign. And, so naturally being a consulting firm catering to small fundraising shops, I tend to get asked to talk about these, and I am currently in…

Blog, Campaigns, Donor relations, Individual Giving, Major gifts, Planned Giving, Resources for the professional, Small shop fundraising

The revolving fundraising door at our organizations

What is going on out there? For the past year, I have watched development jobs come and go on the job boards. I lamented that folks like myself with over 20 years of experience, certifications, and education were getting passed up for the…