Fundraiser Education

Do you have a bucket list? For many years, going to Graceland, the home of the late Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tenn., has been at the top of my bucket list. I spent many hours creating excuses why I could not go on this visit...

Whether you’re a one-person charity or a multinational nonprofit, the question of whether to go “big” or stay “small” is always there. Make the smart choice, and you’ll soar. Guess wrong, and you’ll be stuck in the doldrums—or worse...

From October to December, nonprofits dedicate time and energy to fundraising. They reach out to supporters and ask them to give. They share their impact—what they have done this year and what they will do next year. They share stories from those whose lives have been changed as a result of donations from people just…

Sometimes, a nonprofit’s fundraising seems to go into a death spiral. Revenue isn’t just flat, it’s declining. The interventions attempted don’t work, and “big change” ideas won’t fly. Losses keep piling up no matter what senior management does to stem the bleeding. Firing the entire management team might be the only answer. Understanding why that is true could save your job...

Nonprofit leaders are constantly hearing about how important impact and outcomes are to funders. Articles with titles like, “Study: A Nonprofit’s Impact Is the Most Significant Consideration to Funders,” and “Why Outcomes, Not Output, Is the Key to Nonprofit Sustainability,” are everywhere...

One common problem managers have with major gift officers is how to manage their time. Or maybe I should say how not to manage their time. Some managers believe that the eight-to-five rule for employees actually applies to MGOs...

“Any brand of toothpaste is peddled with far more sophistication than the life-saving work of aid groups,” Nicholas Kristof once wrote. Nonprofits and social enterprises, unsurprisingly, struggle to compete with brands that collectively spend billions on marketing. But some have more success. Charity: Water, a nonprofit that has raised more than $260 million for clean…

Happy October, everyone! I have a feeling it’s going to be a fantastic month. For one, I’m turning the big 2-8 at the end of the month—inching closer and closer to that 30-year milestone mark—but I couldn’t be more excited. For two, it’s the fall season...

The demands of a major gift officer are enormous. I don’t have to spell them all out to you, because you live it. The same can be said for a development director at a small nonprofit who has to be “everything” fundraising at your nonprofit...

Since June 2015, the American Foundation for AIDS Research has been embroiled in an internal scandal that involves two of the nonprofit's major players, Harvey Weinstein and Kenneth Cole, following a financial deal between the two that's since fallen under scrutiny. The scandal has led to numerous board members resigning and an investigation by the New…