Accountability

A friend recently commented that as a fundraiser, you are first and foremost selling integrity. If donors feel that you — or your organization — lack integrity, they will likely look elsewhere to donate.

This Editor's Note, "An Ounce of Prevention," from the October 2008 issue, talks about the importance of donor trust and how you should protect it at all costs. It's true that some things never change.

I’m more of an optimist than fortune-teller, but the nonprofit sector is changing in some exciting ways. And I, for one, am excited to see what the new year brings. Following are five trends we should watch for.

Some question whether the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance charity ratings really have teeth, and if the up to $15,000 it receives annually from charities that pay to use its seal of accreditation influences its decisions. The questions come as many charities, particularly smaller ones, struggle to raise money as the proportion of people's incomes devoted to charitable giving remains stagnant.

Listen in as some of fundraising's freshest thinkers take on some of the sector's toughest topics — the things that should be top of mind in the new year.

There will come a time when someone doesn't like something you write, when you make a mistake or even just use a turn of phrase that rubs someone the wrong way. The key is in how you handle it.

Robert Croft and Jennifer Renner shared three keys that make the difference between mediocre fundraising and successful fundraising in tough times during an AFP presentation.

The competition for foundation grants is greater than ever with charitable service demand at an all-time high. So to ensure your organization is in position to grab the attention of grantmakers, make sure you're set up with the pre-grantseeking needs foundations look for.

C-level executives Angel Aloma, Danny McGregor and Atul Tandon, along with moderator Tom Harrison, discussed the biggest issues concerning fundraisers at the DMA Nonprofit Federation New York Nonprofit Conference.

Here, a few notes on the new look of business rules, presented by Tom Gaffny, principal at Tom Gaffny Consulting, and Mary Beth McIntyre, president of Win-Win Giving, in the session "Running Your Nonprofit Like a Business" at the DMA Nonprofit Federation 2010 Washington Nonprofit Conference.