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Why your great story leads to a better world

If you’ve been wondering why I make such a fuss about stories, read on. Here’s the thing. Insiders (that would be you, nonprofit hero) understand all the details. We eat, sleep, and drink our organizations’ missions – the “why” of our work. But almost none of your donors or might-be donors do. They have their […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor communications, Fundraising, storytelling Leave a Comment

You can put more heart into your fundraising today

Fundraising is about using your heart as well as your head. And maybe fundraising isn’t really about money at all. In the long run, successful fundraising focuses on relationships. And good fundraisers use their hearts as much as their heads. Does that mean every one of your donors needs to be someone you know personally? […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications, Thanks Tagged With: donor relationships, Fundraising, thank you letters Leave a Comment

Becoming a fundraiser

Have I ever told you how I became a fundraiser? I’m hesitant to share because I don’t often find myself interesting enough… But I think in this case, there were a few reasons why my first fundraising job became a career lasting decades. And I hope that’s useful to you. My first nonprofit job was […]

Filed Under: Arts Fundraising, Blog, Fundraising Tagged With: donor communications, Fundraising, learning Leave a Comment

Small organization with big dreams? 7 tips to help you grow

Small organization fundraising You’re not alone. Here in the U.S., most nonprofits are smaller organizations, with nearly one million organizations having annual revenues below 50,000 U.S. dollars. Here are some tips to help small organizations fundraise: 1.      Invest Most small organizations struggle with money. How to get it. What to spend it on. So your financial decisions […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donor communications Tagged With: donor communications, Fundraising, small organization Leave a Comment

What keeps you up at night?

Do any of these nonprofit fundraising challenges sound familiar? I get it. That’s been me, for years, working with small to medium-sized nonprofits, and struggling to build a stronger donor base. Let’s look at some of the root problems that put you in this spot. Fundraising challenge: Starving for good In most organizations, fundraising is […]

Filed Under: Blog, Donors Tagged With: donor communications, donor retention, Fundraising Leave a Comment

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