Fundraiser Education

Be sure that the meetings you hold are needed. If so, take a few steps to ensure that you have the right people at the table, you have the right agenda to achieve your goals and you guide the meeting to keep the discussion on point and on schedule...

More and more often, we hear this catchy phrase "culture of philanthropy" and how essential it is to high levels of nonprofit fundraising success. Having worked as a staffer for many years, I’m a firm believer. If you want to raise more money and retain more donors, start by looking at your collective mindset toward philanthropy—a culture shift doesn’t start with strategy...

What do you need to update, either in your program or in your own arsenal of fundraising expertise? This old dog urges you to commit to doing it. Even if you don’t find the next great fundraising breakthrough, you will learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, “I didn’t fail the test. I just found 100 ways to do it wrong."...

Since the 1960s, the Association of Fundraising Professionals has supported charities and advocated global change. While the AFP has claimed to be an organization that advocates for “ethical and effective fundraising,” they recently have been under fire for not supporting women’s rights...

We’re all in this kind of work to make a real difference. After over 16 years working in the nonprofit development arena, though, I’ve learned that to be genuinely effective—to really make a difference—organizations need to be just as committed to funding their missions as they are to their mission...

The nonprofit run by one of America’s most prominent white nationalists, Richard Spencer, has lost its tax-exempt status for failing to file tax returns with the federal government, according to Internal Revenue Service records. An inquiry by The Times also raised questions about whether Spencer had properly filed paperwork allowing the National Policy Institute to…

Mercy Corps, a leading American charity that uses Turkey as a base to aid hundreds of thousands of civilians upended by the war in neighboring Syria, was forced to curtail its work last week after the Turkish government abruptly revoked its registration to operate. “Our hearts are broken by this turn of events, which comes…

Not every cause marketing campaign is successful—and there are reasons why. Trust me, after all these years in the nonprofit world, I’ve seen my share of amazing cause campaigns and ones that were total flops...

The No. 1 strategy for sustaining good-standing relationships with donors is by engaging with them on a personal level—not just the major donors, but all donors. And yes, this includes your mid-level donors, too...

Social media can be a double-edged sword for nonprofits. It’s an appropriate venue to share stories about your cause and foster community among your supporters. When it comes to fundraising, however, social media can be a confusing tool...