Annual Campaigns

In an effort to make good with participating nonprofits and repair its own reputation, Kimbia, the technology platform and solution provider for Give Local America, has announced a multi-phase plan to help nonprofits achieve their goals and mitigate any loss brought about by the technological snafu that brought nonprofits' websites and fundraising efforts to a crashing halt on May 3...

The spring-appeal season is underway, and I’ve been barraged with appeals for the last couple of weeks. For many organizations, this is their main fundraising drive of the year. Unfortunately, some of these organizations need a refresher course in appeal writing. Whether you’re planning a spring campaign or one later in the year, here are…

When it comes to planning for Penn State Thon 2017, the controversial practice of "canning" is coming back this fall—but with some major changes and only for a limited time. Thon 2016 and Thon 2017 executive directors Katie Mailey and Austin Sommerer today released a letter to the Thon community stating in part: "In agreement with the…

Fundraising is by no means an easy task! Charities of all sizes constantly strive to increase the amount of annual donations and raise awareness about their causes. And now, peer-to-peer fundraising is helping nonprofits toward both of these goals like never before. But can we stimulate this fundraising channel even more? And how can we…

The Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri raised a record amount from its “Dessert First” event, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The organization raised more than $350,000 from roughly 500 guests. On top of that, it has received a higher number of requests from out-of-state residents to purchase cookies. So why the sudden uptick in funds? It might have something to do with St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson's letter, asking parishes in the area to seek alternatives to Girl Scouts...

Penn State's THON 2016 ended Sunday afternoon with its fundraising total revealed amid the signature cheers and exhausted exaltation among too-tired-for-words students fresh from a weekend of nonstop dancing and a year of persistent fundraising—all in the name of helping children with cancer. But make no mistake, things were different this year. Very different. THON…

With THON less than a month away, one can only wonder how the cancellation of several canning weekends will impact the bottom line. For years, Penn State students have traveled throughout the East Coast, holding cans and soliciting donations for THON, the world's largest student-run philanthropy. THON, of course, benefits cancer patients and research. This year,…

From late January until early April, nearly every potential legacy donor is using some portion of their time to pull together all of the documents required for tax filings with a financial planner. This is the time when those individuals already are thinking about estate planning and the benefits of charitable giving. Here are four…

Have you ever wondered, after the fact, why you donated to a particular cause or organization? You hadn’t planned on it. It wasn’t something that had been on your radar. So why did you give? The answer, in a lot of cases, is because it made you feel good. That’s how most of us feel…

For several years now, Jan. 1 not only has meant the beginning of the new year, but also an opportunity to look at trends in year-end fundraising emails from nonprofit organizations. Back in 2011, I started collecting all the emails that nonprofits sent me during the month of December and reviewed what was in my inbox.…