Strategic Planning

Fundamental Best Practices for Online Fundraising: Part 1
July 6, 2017 at 12:01 pm

Use of the Internet to fundraise was launched in the late 1990s, and through a process of trial and error, nonprofit organizations have slowly been able to build donors' confidence in the technology and grow their online database for giving. Today, online fundraising makes up an average of 7 to 10 percent of most nonprofits’ annual budget. Now more than ever, it’s crucial that your nonprofit organization knows the basics of a successful online-fundraising campaign...

Be About Message and Purpose: How One Organization Grew to Over 550K Members
July 5, 2017 at 11:33 am

When it comes to raising funds for a specific cause, an organization has to stand out amongst a large crowd of creative, innovative and thriving nonprofits; an organization has to be original. At NonProfit PRO, we are always searching for organizations that are stepping up and doing something out of the ordinary; organizations that are unique and eye-catching...

Attribution: Where Do You Stand?
July 5, 2017 at 11:10 am

The nonprofit industry is becoming more diversified and complex and as donor behaviors continue to evolve, it is imperative that direct-response fundraisers adopt new methods and/or solutions for quantifying the impact of their marketing investments. The days are gone when fundraisers could measure a campaign’s effectiveness or performance in a single media/channel view...

20 Strategies for Building Long-Term Nonprofit Sustainability
July 3, 2017 at 10:42 am

Often, when the topic of sustainability arises, the focus is on money. But after several decades working in the nonprofit sector, I’ve become convinced sustainability is about so much more than money. I have developed 20 key strategies any organization can use to build long-term sustainability...

Improve Your Fundraising With These ‘P-Lettered’ Concepts
June 30, 2017 at 9:36 am

To be the best professional you can be, always strive to improve your memory and acquire new learning concepts. I have found that letter association helps me create lists around concepts. Whatever letter you use, letter association should help you in your quest to cluster concepts...

Fundraisers: Be Systematic in Your Efforts
June 29, 2017 at 11:18 am

When you’re evaluating of the effectiveness of a fundraising program, you often have to look no farther than the internal language being used by the staff and volunteers who execute that program. Professional jargon is an unfortunate occurrence in just about any profession...

How Mobile CRM Helps Your MGOs
June 27, 2017 at 10:40 am

When your major gift officers end their meetings with major donors or prospects, what do you think is the first thing they do? You probably guessed right. Your team member grabs his or her mobile device to check emails and social media. We live in a world that is all about on-demand information...

Is It Time for Your Organization to Rebrand Itself?
June 26, 2017 at 12:08 pm

If your organization is looking to rebrand itself, you’re going to need to establish a brand strategy, which comprises of positioning and personality. Trompeter and Guida define positioning as “the single idea you hope to own in the minds of your target audiences...

6 Great Summer Reads for Fundraisers
June 22, 2017 at 11:30 am

Summer is a perfect time to catch up on good books. Not only salacious romance novels and suspenseful mysteries, but also reading that can advance your skills, career and overall perspective. Looking for a management page-turner? A book about a nonprofit pioneer that you just can’t put down?...

Back to ‘A, B, C’ Nonprofit Major Gift Program Essentials
June 22, 2017 at 11:07 am

There’s no substitute for the basics, as boring and tedious as they may be. This is true with anything in life, and major gifts development is no exception. The basics are boring, but they’re fundamental to your success...