Individual Giving

Don’t Shortchange Your Philanthropic Potential
May 24, 2017 at 7:43 am

Build a culture of philanthropy. Challenge your board and staff to embrace a donor-focused, relational approach. Invest in your board and staff and build a development program that is built to last—through leadership transitions and that grows stronger and stronger with the success and capacity-building of each campaign...

When Is the Best Time to Ask for a Monthly Gift?
May 22, 2017 at 9:40 am

When fundraisers ask me this, the answer is: no better time like the present! And, you should be asking all the time! The more you ask, the more monthly donors you’ll generate...

What Today’s Donor Wants: Managing Expectations and Measuring Impact
May 18, 2017 at 11:22 am

A transformation of sorts has occurred over the last 20 years in regard to donors’ expectations of nonprofits. In years past, donors were generally satisfied with the act of giving itself, relying on little more than the assurances of the nonprofit beneficiary of their donation that their funds were being put...

Charitable Giving Expected to Increase in 2018
May 9, 2017 at 10:17 am

Ask your Magic 8-Ball about the state of charitable giving in the next few years, and there’s a good chance it’ll tell you “outlook good.” As long as it’s getting its info from Marts & Lundy and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, that is...

Mistakes: The Unavoidable Fundraising Nightmare
May 5, 2017 at 9:33 am

Mistakes are inevitable, how a fundraiser responds to those errors is what can really set the organization apart. Instead of spending all our time on looking for someone (anyone but me!) to blame, our first priority needs to be our donors...

Extreme Events Equals Extreme Affinity (But Think Before You Leap)
May 3, 2017 at 10:04 am

Some years ago, I was having dinner with a client and her husband, Bill. In the course of the meal, it came up that Bill was going to be doing a DIY event to raise money for breast cancer research, and they asked if I would consider sponsoring Bill for $100 for his event…

Technology Advances the Way People Give
May 2, 2017 at 1:01 am

There is no denying that technology plays an important role in the nonprofit sector. The evolution of technology has helped us strengthen our brand and reach out to our audience in a way that paper could not. It gives us a bigger voice—not to mention, a bigger platform—to project our mission to the world...