Annual Appeal: Practices that Work
Every fall I post a blog featuring steps a Nonprofit can take to spruce up or revitalize the Annual Appeal. Here are a few new 2013 twists on Annual Appeal practice I’ve discussed in the past: Follow...
View Article‘Tis the Season to be Thankful
When you get back to work at your nonprofit following the year-end holidays, take a few moments to gather the troops and discuss “Are we doing a good job thanking our donors?” Talking it over with...
View ArticleStrategic Thinking III: No Money, No Mission
We want our Nonprofit Boards of Directors to be thinking strategically. The work of the board needs to be in the area of direction-setting for the Nonprofit. Operations are the staff’s business....
View ArticleStrategic Thinking IV: Preparing for “the Ask”
Next step in our Development progression for our Nonprofit Organization is to prepare to Ask for the Gift. We’ve focused on the importance of Strategic Thinking for the Board. And application of this...
View ArticleReaching Out to Donors: Effective Communication
I like what Gail Perry has to say on Fired Up Fundraising: Five Tips for Donor Love: http://www.gailperry.com/2014/04/5-tips-making-donors-love/. The bottom line idea is to communicate using methods...
View ArticleDonor Stewardship: Expressing Gratitude to Our Supporters
Thanksgiving week is a good time to take a few moments to gather the troops and discuss “Are we doing a good job thanking our donors?” Talking it over with staff as well as your development committee...
View ArticleThank Your Donors
You have been back in the office now for 3+ weeks since Christmas. This is a good time to take a few moments to gather the troops and discuss “Are we doing a good job thanking our donors?” Talking it...
View ArticleStrategic Thinking V: Following Up After the “Ask”
So as I was saying last year about this time, when I wrote my first four posts about “Strategic Thinking,” we need to act in a way that reflects the broader direction we want to go in our fundraising...
View ArticleLegacy Giving: How to Inform Your Donors
At some point, each nonprofit organization should introduce a Planned Giving Program. The question is, when is the right time? I think Planned Giving logically builds out from the annual fund. As your...
View ArticlePrepare the Annual Holiday Season Appeal to Donors
It’s time once again to consider the “something old, something new” that should go into our 2015 Annual Appeal. Just for you: A few new 2015 twists on Annual Appeal practice: For Starters: Time to get...
View ArticleCrossing the Board Giving Bridge
Nearly every authority on nonprofit governance I know agrees: One element of board responsibility is to contribute to the nonprofit they serve. The concept does make sense. If members of the board of...
View ArticleBack to Your Donors: The Extra Mile Campaign
Most nonprofits have wrapped up or are wrapping up their holiday appeal. Most of these direct mail (or, more inclusively, “direct response”) campaigns are run in November – December, with follow-up in...
View ArticleThe Path Is the Goal
Scrolling through Twitter this evening, I came to a post from @DeniseWakeman: The path is the goal – Buddhist Saying. This stopped me short. Made me think. Why am I getting a ring of truth from this? I...
View ArticleDeveloping Fundraising Skill in the CEO
Today, most nonprofits seek a CEO with fundraising experience. Generally, that experience is in the annual campaign and major gift fundraising. But at times, the nonprofit Board hires a new CEO who has...
View ArticleNonprofit Readiness: Preparation for the 2016 Annual Campaign
Time to get the plan organized for your 2016 annual campaign. Many nonprofits make their appeal to donors and prospective donors in November-December…the peak of the holiday season. This is the time of...
View ArticleWhat Are Our Donors Telling Us?
We are in peak season for appeals from nonprofits to our donors. And many of our supporters are hearing from several nonprofits they follow and support. How do we attract attention of our donors when...
View ArticleGetting Started with a Legacy Gift Program
Nonprofits of all sizes, shapes, and durations should consider instituting a planned (or legacy) giving program…so donors can learn how they can make gifts through a will or trust or other method, to...
View ArticleThe Thank-You: Key to Effective Donor Stewardship
For most nonprofits, January is an important month. For the majority, the annual appeal for donor support was mailed in November, gifts began arriving in December, and for some, a respectable portion...
View ArticleBuilding Nonprofit Board Development Skill in Stages
I’ve written frequently about the importance of building relationships as fundamental to effective fundraising. This is the development part of the fundraising equation: if our goal is to build a...
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