Tips for Keeping Fundraising Vibrant and Exciting

Katya Andresen, vice president of marketing for Network for Good, Fundraising Professional of the Year: I keep it fresh by listening to the donors. They are smarter than I am and usually more eloquent. The reasons they support an organization — the words they use, the stories they tell, the passion they have — makes them the best possible source of inspiration for fundraising. Our new site, www.sixdegrees.org [a social networking site where visitors can learn about and support the charities of celebrities and their friends, and fundraise for causes they care about], is full of such stories. Donors tend to be the best messengers, which is why I’m so keen on person-to-person fundraising.