Fundraiser Education

I have lots of takeaways from the FundRaising Success Engage Conference but wanted to share 10 low-cost donor engagement strategies I picked up during the day. Any nonprofit can swing these, for little to no out-of-pocket cost: Get volunteers to write thank-you notes. Get volunteers to make phone calls. Give tours of your facility. Break bread with your executive director. Conduct surveys. Enlist board members. Ask donors to fundraise for you. Hold town hall meetings. Highlight a donor story in your newsletter. Invite donors to share why they love your nonprofit.

I have been thinking about a career in fundraising and the choices that we make that define who we are and our work. Here are some choices that we, as fundraising professionals, should be making.

Ted Hart speaks with Brian Saber, co-founder and president of Asking Matters, about how the shy can be great fundraisers too on his Nonprofit Coach radio show.

If you engaged your donors on a deeper level, would you raise more money? When it comes to helping nonprofits raise more money, Susan Howlett is a master! In this video, Susan shares three different ways you can engage donors on a deeper level. Plus, you’ll also hear examples of how these have played out in real life at other nonprofit organizations … helping them raise more money.

I suggest you establish a mentoring program where you could mentor a young professional year-round whose desire is to make a career in the nonprofit world. What have you done to promote the concept and spirit of philanthropy with the next generation?

How do you identify what old fundraising methods are worth keeping alive and what new methods can have a positive bottom-line impact? Or in other words, how do you avoid staying with what’s comfortable even when it’s on life support or chasing what’s new just because it looks fun? A good place to start is by asking yourself these questions.

It's finally here. It's been roughly 11 months since our inaugural Engage Conference, and after such wonderful response and participation last year, we here at FundRaising Success knew we had to keep it going. And now the day is finally just here, with the second annual Engage Conference all set for tomorrow at the WHYY building in Philadelphia.

What I love about the roundtables is that they are almost completely attendee-driven. The moderators say a quick hi and share an overview of the topic, but then the discussion is steered by the questions posed by the guests at the table.

Whether it is PB42 or like organizations, to thrive and not just survive, nonprofits must have the following key elements. No one can predict the future, but it is clear the nonprofit sector is here to stay — and the competition for time, talent and treasure will continue to intensify. Keep thinking why people should invest in your cause. You better be on top of your game!

Not only do speakers at Engage reside over our in-depth cases studies and delve deep into attendees' concerns and questions, but they're available all day long to chat and further explore whatever it is the audience is looking to explore.