Slam Dunk or Snake Oil?

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JH: You recently raised more than $5,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation in a few weeks using social media like Twitter. What did you learn from this experience that other organizers and nonprofits can follow?

GL: I wrote a whole post on the individual things I learned (tinyurl.com/y82erut), but strategically I would tell nonprofits to have a grassroots fundraising coach in place to encourage people through the process. It can be a slog, and having coaches there to help, encourage and make suggestions is a win-win for all of the parties involved. I think this is no different than having a development director who handles mid-tier donors. In essence, that's what this staff person is doing: cultivating individuals who are willing to solicit on behalf of the charity.