What’s holding your fundraising back? Is fundraising scary? I recently posed that question to a group I was training. We were having some fun with a true and false game. Most of the questions were pretty easy to answer. This one was more nuanced. Fundraising is sometimes scary. But it’s almost always needed. So if […]
10 reasons your newsletter could raise more money
How well does your newsletter work? Many organizations now use newsletters to communicate about their work. That’s good! But I see so many organizations produce fancy pieces that aren’t doing their job. Do newsletters right and they can be a serious source of income – by delighting your donors. Miss the mark and you’re throwing […]
Are you ignoring your annual fund?
The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently reported: Some 77 percent of organizations with an annual fund meet total fundraising goals as compared to just 55 percent of organizations without such a fund, according to a new report on the impact of annual-fund campaigns in overall fundraising. I know you’re focused on the end of the year […]
I’m no hero and neither are you
I’m trying to do it all right now. I bet you know what I mean. This time of year is especially busy for those of us who raise money for nonprofits. It’s the high holy season of giving, and if we’re not ever-present in our donors’ consciousness, we risk losing support. If we do what […]
A small big thing…
I’d like to share are a couple of lessons learned. Long, long ago in a galaxy far away, I took my first job in development. I had run a department at another nonprofit theater – managing a full-time staff of 25. In a way, it felt like I’d been knocked down a few pegs. I didn’t […]