Fundraiser Education

I can’t believe 2017 is already here! Are you ready for it? Is your fundraising ready for it? How will you be increasing fundraising revenue and strengthening donor relationships this year? Learn what smart fundraisers will be doing—and download a free 2017 fundraising and marketing calendar!...

We are behind in our Christmas fundraising efforts. From a seasoned fundraiser perspective, nothing weighs more heavily during the holidays than the stress of that simple fact. It is now my job to create the plan of attack for the next nine months to achieve the fiscal year fundraising goal, which will not be easy. When others in need depend upon your success, you constantly strive to seek solutions...

In part one of this two-part series, we talked about six friends you absolutely must make if you want to increase your fundraising results this year—and sustain and grow them over time. Today, we look at six more...

If you or someone you know is either looking for an MGO position or just started in one, I’m going to give you a road map for what to do in your first 60 days. If you follow this road map, you will not only start out your position on the right foot, but you will also give your manager a sigh of relief and, ultimately, comfort your donors. There are two things you need to concentrate on...

Believe it or not, my Elvis obsession helped me arrive here, right at this video from University of Cambridge. Elvis has played a central, deified role in his life and in the lives of the women who knew him. But in this video, he’s cast as a more peripheral character. In the short clip, a Cambridge historian narrates the fascinating history of teenage fundraising in 1950s America...

Everyone is out of the office and the long weekend looms almost within reach. So, we're taking it easy today, and you should too—by kicking back and reading (or re-reading!) some of these stories you may have missed in 2016. These aren't our most-read stories or even the most important ones, but they're a selection of our personal favorites, those we most enjoyed writing and reading...

It is hard to believe that 2017 is almost here. Where did the time go? Many of us had a fiscal year that started in July 2016, so we are at halftime in this fundraising year. Others are just beginning a new calendar year filled with hope and possibilities. Wherever you are in the fundraising calendar continuum, you should take a moment to stop, look and evaluate before you jump without a parachute into 2017...

I know that many of us have sent out our year-end appeal letter, or are in the process of doing so. Some of us are pouring our blood, sweat and tears into these letters, sometimes literally, with the paper cuts and the occasional weeping over the hundreds or thousands of letters that need to be…

We’re rapidly approaching the close of what has been a tumultuous year. In 2016, the U.S. experienced an unusually bitter presidential campaign culminating in the unexpected election of Donald Trump. In the U.K., voters chose to exit the European Union—the surprise Brexit vote sent shockwaves around the globe. The civil war in Syria continued to…

In part three of this fundraising and football series last week, we discussed campaigns being a rallying call and the benefits of utilizing people in their most effective roles. This week, we’re covering two more things fundraisers can learn from the game: keeping score and being part of a winning team...