Fundraiser Education
February 3, 2017 at 12:06 pm
In last year’s installment of this annual nonprofit trends feature, we wrote that something felt different about all the change happening in the sector. We chalked it up to urgency. Acceleration. Things were changing fast. That was nothing compared to what’s in store for 2017. We collected insights, observations and predictions from some of the nonprofit sector’s smartest people, and we’re delivering them to you here. We hope the 40 ideas here paint a clearer picture of the sector as it is and as it will be...
February 3, 2017 at 10:39 am
As I have for four consecutive years, I’m starting 2017 off with a report on last year’s charitable giving volume. The analysis is based on 17 million individual direct mail contributions received in 2016 by more than 60 national nonprofit organizations. It encompasses six primary charitable sectors served by Merkle’s Response Management Group...
February 2, 2017 at 11:46 am
Fidelity Charitable, the public charity arm of mutual fund giant Fidelity Investments, raised $7 million in bitcoin donations last year. The organization launched the donation option in November 2015, enabling contributions from customers by way of their donor-advised funds. Fidelity Charitable has utilized Coinbase as a payment processor to handle bitcoin-to-dollar conversions. New statements from…
February 2, 2017 at 11:13 am
The Republican Party (GOP) is big on making “block grants” to the states. The term “block grant” refers to a grant program that provides federal assistance for broadly defined functions, such as community development or social services. Block grants allow the recipient more discretion than other grants in determining how to use the funds to meet a broader program goal...
February 2, 2017 at 9:43 am
This old dog challenges you to think about that old fundraising standby, the telephone, in a new way. Just maybe there’s a stronger donor relationship that will result from a telephone call and a genuine word of appreciation...
February 1, 2017 at 9:20 am
Nonprofits need to tell a compelling story the donor wants to enter into. Make what you say relevant to people’s experiences. I may not have a daughter with a disability, but as a parent, I can relate to wanting my daughter to have all the best life has to offer...
January 31, 2017 at 10:27 am
Simply put, monthly giving is one way to help your retention metrics grow. It’s certainly not the only way you should be trying to retain more donors, but it certainly helps. And, as most organizations have realized by now, monthly giving is not just for the organizations that can tie their mission to a monthly cost or a service provided, etc...
January 30, 2017 at 9:21 am
While many people look forward to the opportunity to start the new year with a clean slate, nonprofit professionals should make sure that they take sufficient time to reflect on what worked—and what did not—over the past year. To that end, I present my top 10 nonprofit resolutions for 2017. Best wishes for a productive year. Make the ask and go get that win...
January 30, 2017 at 8:53 am
If you’re like most fundraising professionals, you’re ignoring one high-potential giving option. Sadly, it could be costing your nonprofit organization a fortune. I’m talking about gifts of appreciated securities (e.g., stocks). Just days ago, the Dow broke through the 20,000 level to set a new record close. The NASDAQ and the S&P 500 are also…
January 26, 2017 at 11:21 am
It’s annual report season, for better or for worse. Often it’s for worse, since many of them are long, boring booklets that put your donors to sleep. You don’t have to do an annual report, but you do need to share accomplishments with your donors. You may opt to nix the annual report and send…
