Fundraiser Education

Fundraising is a high-stake, high-anxiety field. Both staff members and board members face constant anxiety and fear of failure. And the anxiety ramps up during capital campaigns when the goals and consequences of failure are even higher.

Trends change every year, bringing new opportunities that are tied to new challenges. Many of them impact donor and volunteer perceptions. Based on my time working in the nonprofit environment, I'm noting specific trends in anticipation for the remainder of 2017. Here are some of the challenges I foresee and some thoughts on how to…

In our digitally dependent era, there are various ways to donate funds online. A donor can make a donation through their smartphone faster than we can count to 10. Technological innovation is at its peak right now, and we think it’s going to continue to grow and grow—rapidly, too. Included in the countless forms of online payments are bitcoins. What are do you think? Is bitcoin the currency of the future?...

When is a donor-cultivation event more about building your organization’s profile than it is about fundraising? How can you be sure that your “friendraiser” is actually moving you towards the achievement of your fundraising goals? Events can be great fun, excellent for networking and for catching up with people in the community, but sometimes I…

Peer-to-Peer fundraising is a great way to engage your donors and get them to participate in some healthy, happy, fun physical activity. We are currently surrounded by a world promoting fitness and wellness. Just look around: From fitness tracker watches (FitBit, Apple Watch) to food tracking apps (MyFitnessPal, My Macros+) to the numerous amount of “#fitspos” out there popping up like dandelions—all of these things keep you motivated to stay healthy and find any excuse to engage in physical activity, right?...

Are those of us who earn our income as fundraisers professionals? Oddly, that’s something I never really considered. I’ve always considered myself a professional and strived to act accordingly. But seeing how the occasional few in the name of fundraising act dishonorably or even illegally to increase contributions and/or their income does certainly point to at least some who view fundraising as simply a way to earn a living...

One of the toughest challenges in our sector is getting donors to give time and time again—to get one-time donors to become repeat donors. Perhaps it’s showing donors the impact that the organization is making or having a mission powerful enough for donors to want to be a part of the organization. Perhaps simplifying the…

Without having any claim to completeness, I have found a number of things to be important to the success of philanthropic activities. This list of key points resembles a list that could be drawn up for any business venture and that is one of the key conclusions I have come to: Treat your philanthropic activities…

Just to say thank you. For years, we’ve heard that it takes 21 days to create a habit for the long haul. But in reality, it turns out that’s a bit of a myth. I say, commit to these daily calls, come hell or high water, for three months straight. Jot it down on your calendar and begin tomorrow—no ifs, ands or buts about it. And then, reach out. I want to hear from you. What habits are you embracing to ramp up your fundraising this year?...

Just remember, as a nonprofit, your offline donors may be falling into that “senior” category, but your online donors are definitely more of a younger generation mix. Many of us have been saying this for a while—PayPal provides the greatest flexibility and even perceived security for those worried about providing a credit card online. It works with checking accounts and credit cards...