Fundraiser Education

The National Philanthropic Trust released its 2015 Donor-Advised Fund Report last week, revealing that 2014 marked a year of growth in all of its key indicators, including the number of donor-advised funds, total contributions to them, total combined assets and total grant dollars distributed. Of the estimated $358 billion in charitable contributions in the U.S.…

Fifteen years ago, public school teacher Charles Best started DonorsChoose.org out of his classroom in Bronx, N.Y. He set out with a simple idea: Invite teachers to request supplies they need and allow citizen-donors to make direct connections with specific classrooms. The mission of DonorsChoose.org isn't unique. On the contrary, there are many organizations that…

As the use of digital marketing continues to evolve and expand within the nonprofit industry, fundraising executives are demanding more integration within their marketing, communication and fundraising solutions. The key point of distinction is nonprofits that wish to implement integrated fundraising strategies must first think of their constituents rather than the communication tactic itself...

In the early 2000s, we didn’t call it “P2P.” We called it “online event management solutions” or “online solutions for pledge-based special events.” Some of us had noticed that nonprofits gained a lot of their annual support through these pledge-based special events, and many were still using paper pledge forms to walk around and ask for donations. The world has changed significantly since then, particularly when it comes to communications technology...

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…

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…

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?...

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…

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.…

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…