Salvation Army

Ultimate learning exists when one can take basic information, process the information and use higher thinking skills to blend ideas together.

Major-gifts and planned-gifts officers constantly seek ways to engage with prospects and donors. Every technique is used on a daily basis to identify, rate and screen prospects.

Got an idea for an app that could connect a charity or nonprofit with its supporters and beneficiaries in an ongoing way, one that could become part of their daily or at least weekly lives?

As FundRaising Success gears up for the ninth annual Gold Awards for Fundraising Excellence, take a look back at last year's On the Edge winner from The Salvation Army Canada and Grizzard Communications Group.

Marketing discovers and engages buyers while branding makes loyal customers. The Salvation Army Indiana Division recently sponsored a special event with both concepts in mind.

The definition of resonate according to Merriam-Webster is to continue to produce a loud, clear, deep sound for a long time. Another definition is to have a particular meaning or importance that affects or appeals to someone in a personal or emotional way. I had the experience of both definitions at a recent National Community Relations and Development Conference for the Salvation Army in Indianapolis.

What I love about the roundtables is that they are almost completely attendee-driven. The moderators say a quick hi and share an overview of the topic, but then the discussion is steered by the questions posed by the guests at the table.

It’s annual report season — and awards season! What better time to get inspired by nonprofits that are publishing exemplary online annual reports? These organizations show the powerful results you can get when you revamp your annual report process. Here are some noteworthy online annual reports in five categories:

• Best Donation Generator — charity: water
• Best Messengers — Girls Inc.
• Best Year's Highlights — Kiva
• Best Bold Move to Digital — Salvation Army
• Best E-Book — Michael J. Fox Foundation

Thanks to a partnership with the Public Interest Registry, Heather Mansfield of Nonprofit Tech for Good was able to report live from the Nonprofit Technology Conference (#14NTC) last week in Washington, D.C. Empowered with a tablet and smartphone, one of Heather’s first priorities was to reveal the faces and expertise behind some our favorite nonprofit brands. The results are below and what you’ll hear are the responses to the question: “What is your number one piece of nonprofit technology advice for nonprofits?” You can view all videos at instagram.com/nonprofitorgs.

Online fundraising is important — and growing more important every year — but nonprofits can't just open a spigot and watch online contributions pour in. Successful online fundraisers avoid the common mistakes that plague so many others. Here are four fundraising pitfalls we see too often and how can you can avoid them: 1. inconsistent messaging on donation pages. 2. making the donation process too complex, 3. skipping effective follow-up and 4. relying on intuition, not data.