Nancy Schwartz

Here's Fairleigh Dickinson University's strategy and results, and my recommendation of a four-step process to bring marketing and fundraising into a productive partnership.

Here are some well-tested guidelines for crafting bios that help audiences connect with your organization, illustrated by some useful models.

Getting personal in your fundraising communications is key to strong relationships with prospects and supporters. Here are five techniques that are doable for you no matter what’s on your to-do list.

Follow this 11-step path to turn your devil’s advocate into a productive partner. Let me know how it goes!

There’s no better way to build interest, increase engagement and get gifts than letting your supporters, beneficiaries and partners do the talking via testimonials.

The always wonderful Seth Godin published some great wisdom on this subject in his blog recently, and I was so struck by his (always) right-on-the-money observations that I had to share them with you — adapted nonprofit style. Following are some of Seth’s main points (in bold), followed by my interpretations for the fundraising crowd.

Now's the time to outline the right things for your organization's fundraising/marketing team to do this year. But to do it well, you have to get what's going on outside your organization as well as within it.

It can be hard to get the OK to use humor, especially when it deviates significantly from your organization's usual tone or it's the first time. It's tough but worth the effort.

Your organization too can benefit hugely by pioneering an all-org fundraising message team. Here are eight steps to a team of powerful messengers.

Relevance is the heart of memorable, motivating fundraising messages — "aha! messages." If your messages are irrelevant (more than seven of 10 nonprofits describe their messages as off target), your organization will fail to motivate the gifts and loyalty you need to move your mission forward.

Marketing is how your organization builds and strengthens your relationships with the people whose help you need to move your mission forward, as donors, partners, volunteers or in other roles.

Fairleigh Dickinson University broke out of this pattern via a deliberate, well-articulated restructuring. Here's FDU's strategy and results, and my recommendation of a four-step process to bring marketing and fundraising into a productive partnership.

Follow these four steps for a fundraising/marcom partnership that breaks records in building understanding of your supporters and engaging them for the long run. And one that makes your daily to-do list more interesting than ever.

Here are 15 books recommended by fundraising professionals that could change your life.

What book has changed your (professional) life?