Acquisition

We are working with a client with several high net-worth board members who have been donors, but not at a level commensurate with their giving capacity. This organization is moving from a focus on special events—where their annual giving was a program of event sponsorships—to a relationship-based culture of philanthropy. The reality is that while…

When is a donor-cultivation event more about building your organization’s profile than it is about fundraising? How can you be sure that your “friendraiser” is actually moving you towards the achievement of your fundraising goals? Events can be great fun, excellent for networking and for catching up with people in the community, but sometimes I…

New River Communications takes a pair of Silver awards for direct mail—house and direct mail—acquisition. One for Camillus House and Health and another for Yellowstone Park Foundation. See why they won here...

It’s that magical time when we get to recognize the best, most memorable, most innovative fundraising campaigns. It’s a big responsibility, and choosing the winners is no easy task. All of these entries are just so good—our judges had their hands full. But boy is it rewarding seeing the work of all you fundraisers out there, and the massive impact you help nonprofits achieve. Here are the winners of the 2016 Gold Awards for Fundraising Excellence, presented by Turnkey...

This membership effort faced two significant challenges and met each well. First, 
it found commonality between two artists—Leonardo da Vinci and M.C. Escher—and was able to communicate how the works of both provide glimpses into their extraordinary minds. Second, it repeated the benefits of membership throughout every element of the package...

People new to fundraising are hesitant to ask for the money. It doesn’t seem to make sense that people would give. Why? "How will this donation benefit the giver?" youngsters ask. But give they do...

I came home. I was frustrated and discouraged. I had been to an outing with well-to-do people who seemed removed from the reality that my nonprofit clients face—disease, poverty, social injustice. These people sipped their morning mimosas, oblivious to the pain and suffering statistically likely to be only miles away, lamenting immigrants, welfare queens and other ne’er do wells...

During a recent orientation session with two new major gift officers, one individual asked me to define the term “case for support.” He was very eager to learn what I thought about the concept. It is an essential part of the fundraising process, and I'm not the only one in the profession that feels this way...

Fundraising is an art and a science. It’s hard work and easy to screw up. Right this minute, you may be planning to make an ask and you may already have set yourself up to fail. For every 10 asks you make, you’ll get, on average, seven noes. And that’s if you are really good…

With the rise of laptops, smartphones, social media and more, nonprofits now have more tools available to them for engaging donors than ever before. The problem that comes with having so many choices, however, is that it can be difficult to figure out exactly which engagement techniques are most effective. To complicate the matter even further,…