How to follow-up with your donors this calendar year-end
The clock is ticking ever so close to midnight on December 31.Are you ready?Have you taken all of the steps you possibly can to give your donors opportunities to contribute during this giving season?Here are a few simple last-minute…
Three Powerful Ways to Follow up Your Fundraising Letter in 2020
Following up on your fundraising appeal letter is the most important thing you can do to raise money this year.I know you put a lot of work into writing an excellent letter to donors—even the ideal appeal letter. It was even more work…
Top Ten Tips to Help Your Board Be Fundraising Ambassadors this Holiday Giving Season
In talking with many groups, I often offer a specific role that their Board can play during this holiday giving season. That role is as an ambassador. Board members can easily share your giving season appeal with their social networks,…
The Top Ten Things You Should Avoid Doing this Giving Year-End Season
Tis the season.For appeal letters, emails, text messages, and even a video or two.Here is a list that you may want to check twice when creating your Giving Season ask.To have the best Giving Season the best, or as best as it could…
Using a Gift Chart During a Pandemic to Forecast Your Calendar Year-End Campaign
"Times are tough." That is the understatement of the day now. Isn't it?Donors, many who own their businesses or companies, or work for one, have faced significant losses themselves. "Times are tough" seems to be the mantra these days.What…
The Top Ten Tips to Inspire “In Memorial” and “In Honorarium” Giving in Your Nonprofit Fundraising
“Our in Memorium giving is declining. What should we do?”Recently, a hospice client asked me his very question during one of our recent coaching sessions.It got me thinking. Demographics are changing, and, of course, a recent pandemic…
The Top Ten Tips for Creating a Winning Non-Profit Grant Needs Statement in Highly Competitive Times
What is the one thing that I see most often with grant proposals?The need statement is a big assumption, full of fluff and vague language. And, in many cases, this needs statement lacks what it takes to entice a foundation that is dealing…
10 Engaging Online Courses Your Nonprofit Team Should Take
A guest post by Matt Hugg founder of Nonprofit.CoursesFrom a major university hospital with thousands of personnel to a grassroots community hotline, with one (underpaid) staff member and a cadre of volunteers, working at a nonprofit is…
How to Plan Your Calendar Year-End Fundraising In the Middle of a Pandemic and an Election
Each year, I urge my clients to begin planning their Calendar Year-End Campaigns around this time of year.This year is no different. But, wait, yes it is.In any ordinary “fourth” year, we face election fundraising, but this “fourth”…
Top Seven Tips to Collect Email Addresses of Your Nonprofit Donors
One of the questions that I am asked most often, "How do I collect email addresses for those that I do not have them for?"Quite frankly, it's not easy, and it takes hard work.Below, I will provide you with my top seven tips for collecting…
How to use donor surveys to qualify your first-time donors for future fundraising
Long the hallmark of major gift work, qualification through engaging in dialogue with our top-level donor prospects has allowed us to identify those prospects who will entertain developing a relationship with our organization or not. This qualification…
The top 10 ways to strengthen your donor “Call to Action” and raise more money
The number one reason donors do not give aside from not being asked is that they are not provided a problem to solve. Or at least a problem that they understand why they need to solve it.It is in their donor "Calls to Action" that a slight…
