Individual Giving

You’ve probably seen the stats. According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, retention across the U.S. is 46 percent—and about half that for new donors! You work too hard to have more than half your donors disappear, never to be heard from again...

Most of us can identify with this experience: Agreeing to help out with a project or an organization, ending up more involved than we intended and vowing to say “no” to future requests. And yet, here I am, year after year, running tickets for Hot Times, Holy Enchilada and the other games of chance. The truth is, I fell prey to a technique we subscribe to at Turnkey to help our clients raise more money for their various missions...

Have you ever wondered what the ideal number of people is to solicit a gift? Is a one-on-one meeting best? Perhaps you should bring two people—your president and campaign chair? Or perhaps three people would be even better—president, campaign chair and board member. Sounds reasonable, right? Get a power team to solicit a power gift! But here’s a story that will set you straight...

If love is the answer, what was the question? It seems the question on our minds these days is, "How do I raise more money" or "How do I retain my current donors and get them to give more?"...

The best monthly donor prospects are donors who currently give you gifts of $100 or less. They are not your big check writers; if they did send you a $100 check, it was probably a stretch gift for them. Instead, monthly donor prospects are donors who can make small gifts more often...

One in eight Americans—42 million people—still struggles to get enough to eat. And while that number has been going down recently, hunger appears to be getting worse in some economically distressed areas, especially in rural communities. Food banks that serve these areas are also feeling the squeeze, as surplus food supplies dwindle, but the lines…

In our sector, we are constantly faced with obstacles of how we can increase charitable giving; but more particularly, how can we get our donors to continue to give over the years. A donor-advised fund is an account sponsored by a nonprofit organization that enables donors to give to charities and receive tax benefits—essentially a charitable savings account…

Hospitals in Manchester have enough blood supplies to treat patients including the victims of Monday night’s arena attack, the NHS has said. Worried locals were urged to make an appointment to give blood at a later date after the city’s blood donation centres were inundated with volunteers. Images shared on Twitter by a number of users…

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 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...