Fundraiser Education

Poor Spock. He’s caught between his tidy Vulcan logic and messy human emotion. Most of the time, he relies on Vulcan cool. That wouldn’t work well for fundraising, though. Human beings don’t make purely rational decisions. This isn’t my guess; it’s science. We make decisions in the older part of our brains. They’re based on…

Otis Fulton, Turnkey’s in-house psychologist, notes that a retail-unattractive event fosters social relationships. A retail-attractive event fosters market relationships. While both types of events and relationships can produce fundraising income at varying degrees of expense percentage, you can actually really hurt your income and your relationships by mixing the two...

The conventional fundraising wisdom is if we only have the right map coordinates and secret handshake, we’re in. And so, our fundraising challenges will miraculously evaporate. Countless webinars, short courses and workshops claim to offer this treasure map. Well I’m here to tell you this tale is half right. It’s not the half you imagine, however...

Local politicians and Shepherd Community Center volunteers gathered in Hamilton County, Indiana on Sunday for a unique fundraising opportunity—a barn deconstruction. State Sen. Jim Merritt, Rep. Jerry Torr and Indianapolis mayoral candidate Chuck Brewer helped Shepherd employees and board members carefully take apart the more than century-old barn on 146th Street so the wood could…

The fundraising plan is at the core of successful fundraising. But what exactly is a fundraising plan? Is it a spreadsheet? A list of activities? A list of potential donors and funders? Our answer: It’s this and so much more. Here are four things to consider when creating your fundraising plan. First, your fundraising plan…

Facebook for Business announced in a post that it has added “Donate Now” as a call-to-action button available for brand pages. These buttons can now appear right on a Facebook brand page or directly within an ad on the site. “Now, it’s easier than ever for nonprofits to connect with people who care about their…

I have been tracking the journey of a donor, who is no longer with us, who gave a very sizable gift of more than $800 million to a nonprofit before he passed away. How can I be tracking the journey of a donor who has passed away? Because this donor not only gave the organization more than $800 million, he also left an estate of equal size to his kids, wife and grandchildren as well. And all of this wonderful giving has been managed by the nonprofit in a manner that is, well, amazing to behold...

One of the questions I am asked most frequently is, "How do you fundraise?" It seems like a simple question but, in practice, asking individuals and corporations for their support is more art than science. That's because fundraising is much more than asking for money. A key goal in development work is cultivating long-term relationships…

There are only four more months to make this your best year possible. Four months to raise money so your organization can do more to fulfill its mission. Four more months to build long-lasting relationships with donors. Four more months to share your story and gain new donors who will help make 2016 great. What you do in these next four months is vital. The letters you mail, your Facebook posts, your events, your newsletters, your face-to-face visits—all of these and more will have an impact on your final numbers for calendar year 2015...

I love asking for a gift. I love the conversation about big dreams and changing lives. I enjoy helping people realize what a difference they can make. But another great fundraising rule is: Do not ask for a major gift on a first visit. That’s the first date. You are just learning about your donor(s)...