We now are faced with the last eight weeks of the year, the time when we are “make or break” for our fundraising year. Even if our fiscal year ends at another time, the calendar year-end drives a lot of donations. The following are some ways to that can help you focus your fundraising efforts these last eight weeks of 2015...
Lori, the executive director of a social-service agency, shared with me her frustrations with the “flat” performance of the agency’s fundraising. There haven’t been any revenue cliffs or disasters. But no growth, either. She related the agency’s overall fundraising plan to me. It sounded solid. So why has its fundraising revenue been treading water for more than five years?...
We ask donors to make it easy for them and automate giving. This can range from monthly giving programs with smaller dollar amounts to allowing donors to stretch and reach leadership-level giving through payments spread over time. My giving to organizations where I serve on the board is automated monthly, or I would never reach the leadership giving that they expect. So, are you automating?...
It always is amazing how many nonprofit professionals actually believe that donors are not watching what they are doing. This behavior is symptomatic of an underlying belief system (on the part of a nonprofit’s leadership) that views donors as sources of cash rather than partners. We see examples of this every day in many nonprofits...
As fundraisers, we’ve heard the phrase, “Don’t make it transactional,” many times. Rarely do we dig down into those phrases and tear them apart. So, let’s begin. Is there truth rooted in the phrase? Cue Otis Fulton, Turnkey’s psychologist...
You are losing donations. If you write appeal letters, fundraising newsletters or other donor communications, this video is a must for you to see. With these seven tips, you'll quickly plug some of the holes in your fundraising efforts. In the video below, Steven Screen and Jeff Brooks walk you through some easy storytelling fixes…
Nonprofits can grow faster, solicit donations more successfully and better accomplish their missions through greater use of analytics. If you doubt the benefits of data, you can read the book Moneyball. The book and movie of the same name relate the true story of how Billy Beane, general manager of baseball’s Oakland A’s, rebuilds his…
A few weeks ago, I was asked to speak to the Big Bend Association of Fundraising Professionals about anything I wanted to talk about. So I chose to talk about what I’ve learned working and volunteering in the nonprofit sector for the past 30 years. I titled my speech “The Lessons I’ve Learned, Sometimes the…
Our fundraising work allows programs to continue, results to happen and stories to be told because the organization’s mission is being accomplished. One way we may become people who are remembered for years to come is to make sure we are consistently reminding our donors how important leaving us a legacy in their will or trust is to our organizations (and to them). Set in motion bequest gifts with these four steps...
One of the things donors often wonder is whether the “ask” they just heard or received from the major gift officer (MGO) is really true. They’re just not sure that the promise of what will be done with the money is totally factual. When you include the organization's leaders in your process with the donor, the donor feels included in the inner circle of decision-making...
