Fundraiser Education

Another year, another International Fundraising Congress. Another round of presentations ranging from the transformative (none more so than this masterclass, "Reinventing the Donor Experience" by Kevin Schulman and Adrian Sargeant) to the tawdry (tempting but unfair to name, but, like any conference, always plenty of choices). And of course another jaunty slogan. So what is…

Why would the answer to, “Does it matter why people give?” ever be "no"? Because from a nonprofit professional’s perspective, it is not our job to judge people’s motivations for giving. It is our job to be the vehicle that enables a donor’s or volunteer’s gift of time or money to support the important work of our organization...

I've coached dozens of clients, helping them draft their cases for support. Quite frankly, it's always frustrating. Everyone finds it challenging to articulate clearly and in compelling terms what their campaigns will raise money for and why it matters...

Cultural organizations desperately need to get better at reaching Millennials in order to thrive in the future. But in order to have these conversations, we need to clear up some craziness. The aim of this week’s "Fast Facts" video is to set the record straight: Talking about the need to reach Millennials is responsible and…

I got a press release the other day. (Don't get me started on the blustery folly of emailing press releases to bloggers without knowing what they actually blog about!) It was from a flack who thought I'd be interested to know that a certain retail brand was doing some cause marketing for Children's Miracle Network.…

Something very rare is happening. It’s one of those once-in-a-century occurrences. You know—like the appearance of Halley’s Comet. What is it? Right now—and perhaps not for very much longer—the very same tools for fundraising that the very best, well-funded organizations use are at the disposal of someone with $500 to spend. Think about it. For…

Why do your donors give? It’s not because of your awesome mission or the 1,723 kids you served last year. It is, in all simplicity, because of what they are doing through you. Your donors are changing the world! But so many nonprofit organizations miss the mark...

In 1993, four respected organizations worked closely together to publish a list of 10 “rights” intended to establish a stronger relationship between philanthropists and their nonprofit beneficiaries. However, 23 years ago the world was vastly different—as was the world of philanthropy. Because of far-reaching changes that have taken place since then, the "Donor Bill of…

Today, one of the greatest skills a fundraiser needs, in my opinion, is the ability to be nimble. Rapid changes in the online space, donor ages spanning six (or more) decades, the still-relevant role of offline fundraising tools, the growth of donor-advised funds, changing foundation priorities and many more things that I won’t list all make the job of fundraising require the flexibility and balance of a gymnast...

Anyone who has worked as a fundraiser or the executive director of a 501(c)(3) organization knows it is, for the most part, smart to keep your political opinions to yourself in the nonprofit realm as well. There are a number of reasons for this; at the risk of oversimplification, I’ll boil it down to the benefit of neutrality...