Fundraiser Education

We’ve been running research with children and young people for years at nfpSynergy, but in the last few months we launched "Families Insight," expanding this research to include parents. This allows us to examine how exactly families interact and engage with charities. Our findings have revealed some interesting dynamics within the family unit, underscoring why…

All too often in fundraising, there’s the dream, and then there’s reality. For example, every fundraiser dreams of a high-functioning board development committee with enthusiastic co-chairs who make your job not just a breeze, but a pleasure. You fantasize about a board development committee that “gets it,” acts as a collaborator, brings fundraising success to…

I am excited to be going to Boston in a few weeks for the AFP International Fundraising Conference. While my first conference was more than 25 years ago, I still look forward to this event because of its size and scope....

Whether your 2015 fundraising strategy was a success or a total bust, there are likely a few hidden gems to uncover in the data. Before you finalize your 2016 fundraising calendar, go through the information that you gathered from last year’s campaigns and look for trends or unusual activity that you can leverage for better…

The most recent “Health and Well-Being Survey” conducted by Gallup provides alarming insight about the effectiveness of nonprofit donor-recognition efforts. Among those surveyed, 81 percent said they have donated money to a charity within the past year. In addition, 52 percent of survey respondents said they have volunteered their time during that same period. Given the high-level…

How well does your newsletter work? Many organizations now use newsletters to communicate about their work. That’s good! But I see so many organizations produce fancy pieces that aren’t doing their jobs. Do newsletters right and they can be a serious source of income–by delighting your donors. Miss the mark and you’re throwing money away.…

John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” segment mocking presidential candidate Donald Trump arrived just in time for Super Tuesday. Unless you’ve been living under a rock these last few days, you’ve probably seen #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain taking over the Internet. While there certainly is a political lesson to be learned from the clip, it’s also a perfect crash…

As an activist in the San Francisco Bay Area for nearly two decades, I worked on the front lines advocating for ideas that were considered "radical" at the time. I led organizations that organized and trained young people to fight for criminal-justice reform and gender justice, and I helped organize rallies and protests calling for…

With the presidential elections heating up, you’re probably busy weighing the similarities and differences between candidates. But, as a nonprofit, you can take away a lot more from election season than simply knowing where candidates stand on important issues. Turns out, you can learn a lot about how to improve your very own fundraising strategies.…

For orchestras to play well, practice and experience is critical to maintaining a quality performance. How do orchestras relate to resource-development programs? As a nonprofit pro, you are the orchestra leader. In many cases, it is up to you to create, maintain and sustain a quality team that works in a holistic way...