Fundraiser Education

I’ve done plenty of searches as a manager of fundraisers and as a headhunter. In my headhunting role I would always ask, “Will you consider nontraditional candidates?” Even among those who say "yes" (most are honest and say no, despite my discussion of the possible advantages), it was clear that there was a discomfort with hiring an outsider. This from clients who I knew were outsiders themselves not long before. In effect, they locked the door behind them...

As the supermoon cast its blood orange glow across the night sky the other night, some religious leaders said it was a sign of a looming apocalyptic deadline. Back on earth, in the depths of campaign headquarters across the country, fear of a different date was nigh—the stroke of midnight tonight, also known as the…

In November 2005, New Orleans was still reeling from Hurricane Katrina. Homes were uninhabitable, electricity was unreliable, and most people still lacked a permanent address, let alone the appliances necessary to clean the clothes on their backs. That’s when Tide showed up with a fleet of Whirlpool washers and dryers, offering free laundry service for…

Your “first date” with your volunteer fundraisers is when they register for your peer-to-peer fundraising event. You may have shared prior secretive glances and witty repartee with them in the form of direct response or a donation, but this is the big move. You are asking them out. You have to decide if you’ll make them pay to date you: Are you going to charge a registration fee?...

Give Local Louisville, a 24-hour effort to aid 363 local charities, ended at midnight Friday, with donations totaling $2,971,457.21. In all, 8,785 donations were made, with Hand in Hand Ministries leading the way with 224 gifts to the event. Louisville Ballet was the dollar leader with $130,700 contributed. Muhammad Ali Museum & Education Center Inc.…

Is "poverty porn" making a comeback? That's the term that some people used back in the 1980s to describe attention-grabbing fundraising ads. Back then, the media was filled with images of starving African children in desperate need of food, seemingly all alone in the world. And folks in the West were invited to save them…

Each year, thousands of professionals need continuing education (CE) credits as a requirement for their profession. It is a must for individuals to stay on top of their games and have the latest knowledge available for their clients. It is also important that professionals stay in contact with their professional peers. An exchange of information is critical both in quality and quantity to professional growth and development...

I told Bill that if he and the other leaders of the organization want to break through their glass ceiling, they’ll need to find out what the emotional issues are—for their supporters, not for them—then very carefully construct a communication program that addresses these....

Hispanic Heritage Month began Sept. 15, and I bet you have seen ads, social media posts, news stories and more talking about it. For those of you who have not yet considered doing outreach or fundraising campaigns geared toward the U.S. Hispanic market, here is some information that might encourage you....

People sometimes don’t give their time or money to the issues that concern them the most, according to a new report from the Chicago Community Trust. The report, released last week, came out of the trust’s 100th anniversary celebration in May. As part of the event, called On the Table, the organization asked local residents…