Fundraiser Education

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…

Sixteen nonprofits came together in late 2015 and developed 10 key components for successful moves management for mid-level to major giving...

I had the opportunity to speak to a large group of fundraising professionals, CEOs and board members earlier this week. We talked about everyone’s favorite topic: the secret to successful, sustained fundraising. Most of my remarks were on the board of directors and the vital role it plays in the fund-development process. I’ve written and…

Is your nonprofit on Facebook? If so, you likely know there’s a difference between being “on” Facebook, and using Facebook to your full advantage. Enter Facebook for Nonprofits, the new site launched yesterday by Facebook to help nonprofits reap the most benefits from the social media platform. The comprehensive site guides nonprofits at every stop of their online journeys...

It is hard for me to believe, but on Feb. 16, 1976, I stepped into the nonprofit world. I guess you could say I have been around the sun several times. If I am to give advice from my four-decade nonprofit career, I would like to point out certain attributes you should have to survive and thrive in a variety of roles...

If you work for a small nonprofit, you quite likely spend a portion of your week frustrated. You have great ideas, but they are often stymied by (1) a lack of budget, (2) a lack of time or (3) a lack of staff to put them into action. I confess I used to suffer from Big Organization Envy (BOE)....

If you’re an animal lover, you know that pets are part of the family, and these little furry lovebugs have personalities all their own. We’re tri-petual at my house—we have dogs, cats and horses! It’s a regular zoo some days. Of our three cats, Ginger is mine and she makes that known. We’ve had her…

It’s easy to understand the popularity of year-end giving, but it’s important to remember that many of the tactics that fundraisers use to make end-of-year fundraising so effective can easily be translated to other times of the year. Let these eight prospect research lessons help you fall into fundraising this year...

I used to think Mop & Glo was the greatest product known to man. Once a week, I’d mindlessly squirt Mop & Glo on my tile flooring, run a damp mop over my tile and step back to admire the shine. Until the day came when there was no shine left to admire. So, are you using what I call "Mop & Glo fundraising"?...

Newsletters can and should be a great way to stay in touch with your donors and keep them updated on how they are helping you make a difference. Unfortunately, most donor newsletters can be used as a cure for insomnia. They’re too long and filled with articles that brag about how wonderful the organization is.…