Fundraiser Education

The warning was prophetic. Maurice Levite sat in a modest office in Falls Church, Va., about a decade ago and cautioned his longtime friend, Brian Arthur Hampton, against continuing to use telemarketers to fund his small veterans charity. With the help of his fundraisers-for-hire, Hampton had increased Circle of Friends for American Veterans’ income by…

About 80 percent of startups aspire to scale-up their current operations over the next year and a half, according to a recent Abila Nonprofit Finance Study, and it’s important for them to understand that without careful planning, growth—even the nonprofit variety—can turn toxic. As the founder of MEBO International and a seasoned nonprofit leader, I’ve seen many…

It was time to trot out my PowerPoint presentation and go through all the points of what we did as a company, the results we secured and how we did it. I was invited into the office of the president of a very prestigious eastern nonprofit. The purpose of the meeting was to explain what…

Who doesn’t love a holiday? The very word conjures up notions of celebration, warmth and love. If you’re a donor-centered fundraising practitioner, you’d be a fool not to take advantage. Why not tap into pre-existing positive vibes to increase the chances your appeal will be warmly received? After all, if you can channel something positive…

You want to be seen as organized, thoughtful and helpful, right? Those qualities are a must in fundraising. Few other donor communication methods convey those qualities as much as sending a year-end statement to acknowledge a donor’s itemized giving over the past year...

Holiday travel—navigating aging airports, over rusting and pot-holed bridges—reminds us all of a national infrastructure desperate for repair. But an inspiring new book, "Engine of Impact: Essentials of Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector" (Stanford University Press), points to a more intangible infrastructure also needing renewal: the historical culture of America’s community associations and volunteer networks, people…

Framing your donations as a set can double, triple or even quadruple your average gift. Hopefully, that statement is enough to get you to plow through some psychology, behavioral science, and peer-reviewed research with me...

When you work for an organization like The Salvation Army that has many key holiday special “getting-and-giving” activities during the last quarter of the calendar year, you do not have a great deal of time to think about the short- and long-term future...

Folks who lead and promote charitable causes almost always position themselves as change agents. “We’re gonna fix this.” “We’re gonna make the world a better place.” “All we need is your investment (money).” I find this rather amusing. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all about positive change. The world can use more of it...

Many organizations, when seeking to start their first development office, do not know which way to turn or where to start first. Far too many organizations often start and end with grant writing. They don't get beyond this particular strategy and never get to the point of having a diversified fundraising function...