Fundraiser Education
November 17, 2015 at 10:18 am
Before starting my own business, I spent more than 20 years as a fundraiser. When I was asked the question at cocktail parties, “What do you do?” I’d tell them that I’m a fundraiser. The most common and immediate response was, “I could never ask people for money. “ I’d smile and say, “That is…
November 17, 2015 at 9:58 am
Every November since 2012, a day has been set aside for "Georgia Gives Day" to demonstrate what we already know Georgians are good at anyway: generosity. This year's Georgia Gives Day was last Thursday, and it exceeded not just all previous campaigns, but all except the most extravagant expectations. The fourth annual Georgia Gives Day…
November 17, 2015 at 9:43 am
For the most part, nonprofit organizations have been hit hard by our nation’s economic woes. They’re facing challenges in terms of donations, staffing, government and foundation funding, and organizational structure. How can you quickly make a difference while at the same time setting those important standards for your organization’s future sustainability?...
November 16, 2015 at 10:19 am
Think of your dearest friends. The people who are closer to you than family. Did that bond endure despite silence, inattentiveness and a lack of interest in their lives? Of course it didn’t! You invested countless time and energy in those relationships. It is difficult to comprehend that fundraising and "friendraising" as practices often exist…
November 13, 2015 at 8:37 am
Public U.S. colleges are growing more ambitious in the philanthropy race. A $4 billion fundraising campaign unveiled last week at Texas A&M University ranks as one of the largest ever, as top public schools try to offset declining state and federal funding and stay competitive with private counterparts with longer track records of tapping donations.…
November 13, 2015 at 8:24 am
It’s November in Wisconsin. The walls of the lodge living room are covered with lists, sticky notes, flipcharts and drawings. The space smells like coffee and dry-erase markers. For four hours, nine distinct voices have been exchanging cerebral, aspirational and impactful opinions about values—the values held dear to each individual, and the values that should…
November 12, 2015 at 9:51 am
Donor-advised sponsors have elbowed their way into the top ranks of U.S.-based charities, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of the 400 nonprofits that raised the most private support in fiscal 2014. Five donor advised funds (DAF) managers, plus one community foundation that derives much of its support from DAFs, are among the new…
November 10, 2015 at 6:00 am
Knowledge is not power. If it was, anyone with a skill for googling would be successful. It’s what you do with what you know, how you apply it to your donors and how you implement, that will truly determine your success. Mastery is a new form of learning. I challenge you to adopt it. So, how can you get started?...
November 9, 2015 at 8:57 am
Giving money to charity can be a great idea and might be top of mind as the holidays near, but donating with a charity credit card? Not so much, experts say. It's not that so-called affinity credit cards are evil. Charging purchases on a card with an endangered tiger or a pink breast cancer ribbon…
November 6, 2015 at 9:31 am
When I took my first assignment in the nonprofit field at a university, I knew nothing about the profession. I was blessed to have the No. 2 in the organization spend time teaching me the ropes. As you prepare to help others in their nonprofit professions, they will seek ways to gain knowledge and experience that will prepare them for career advancements. Here are some ways that I found helped me...
