I recently had a few conversations that reminded me of one of my principles of fundraising: You may not consider your nonprofit organization a business, but if you don’t run it like a business, you will go out of business...
With a $24 million gift to fund the comprehensive renovation of the historic Wilson Hall, Brown University will transform one of its most heavily trafficked undergraduate academic buildings into a state-of-the-art facility for teaching and learning in the heart of its College Hill campus. The gift from the Richard A. and Susan P. Friedman Family…
You might think that a thriving Silicon Valley has boosted California’s economy in every region and sector, but there is one group in the region that hasn’t benefitted: The nonprofit sector. That’s according to a study, “The Giving Code: Silicon Valley Nonprofits and Philanthropy...
Girl Scouts have been selling cookies for 100 years, and in 2017 alone, 200 million boxes will be bought. Yet according to the organization's top leader, those delicious treats come with a very serious purpose—and themselves represent big money. "We have an $850 million dollar business," Sylvia Acevedo, Girl Scouts of USA interim CEO, told…
Investment with a clear benefit to society is increasingly claiming imaginations across the world amid the challenges the world faces in 2017. The Ford Foundation, an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization, gave impact investment a significant boost when it announced that it is committing up to $1 billion from its $12 billion endowment over the next…
It’s no secret that the social sector has been part of the front line conversation and action under the new administration. Nonprofit women leaders came together to lead the Women’s March in January; Make the Road, New York Immigration Coalition and The Arab American Association of New York organized protests against executive orders targeting immigrants at New York City airports...
Some of the most successful (and perhaps even leading) nonprofits that are converting members to monthly donors (often called sustainers or sustaining partners) are public television and public radio stations, all over the country...
Art serves many purposes, as this direct mail membership campaign shows.
I get a lot of fundraising mail, which is good because to this fundraiser, that’s like food to a starving person. I receive great nourishment from other people’s mail (OPM)—creative stimulation, chuckles, thoughtful moments, emotional engagement, smiles and an occasional tear...
When a donor makes an “in-memoriam” gift, they’re presenting you with more than just a one-time gift. In fact, in-memoriam donations often provide organizations with an opportunity that they let slip through their fingers...
