Although you should be asking for major gifts all year long, Q4 is a prime time for raising major gifts. So, there’s no better time to think about how to determine an ask amount than right now. While there’s no exact scientific formula to determine an ask amount, below are some guidelines to help you start thinking about your ask amount in … [Read more...]
When to Take Risks: Is Your Nonprofit Penny-Wise and Pound-Foolish?
Is your nonprofit penny-wise and pound-foolish? What's your organization's risk tolerance, and when is it a good idea to take risks? This big-picture post provides the answers to those questions. Risk Aversion (i.e., The Path Untraveled) No doubt, you’ve heard the expression: It takes money to make money. But what does that even … [Read more...]
How to Use Your Database to Identify Your Best Donors
Your donor database can be a great resource if you know how to use it to identify your biggest and most loyal donors. How to Identify Your Largest Donors Finding your largest donors can be trickier than you think. You'll need to open your donor database and look at three key reports: Run a report of the largest single gifts given over … [Read more...]
To Nonprofit Leaders and Donors: Focus on Impact, Not Fees
As fundraisers, we wish donors would focus on the IMPACT of our work -- not the operating costs. And yet, sometimes, as nonprofit leaders, we’re focused on the wrong things too. Focus on Impact, Not Fees: A Personal Example Recently, I was contacted about consulting by a development director named Sam. Sam had already interviewed several … [Read more...]
3 Critically Important Ways of Measuring Fundraising Success
The most obvious way of measuring fundraising success is dollars raised. However, when your boss and board only focus on dollars raised, they miss a huge piece of the picture -- and that can have serious consequences. Let’s take the example of a new Development Director named Sasha. Sasha's Story: Is She Doing a Great Job? In her first … [Read more...]
16 Tools and Apps for the (non)Tech-Savvy Fundraiser
Like it or not, technology is here to stay. What's more, it's changing at an ever-increasing pace. Sure, technology can be detrimental to your productivity and personal life. But when used well, it can enhance your life and make your work as a fundraiser easier and more efficient. Technology As a Time-Saver Are you the type of person … [Read more...]
8 Tips for a Super Successful #GivingTuesday
To #GivingTuesday or Not to #GivingTuesday? That is the question. What is #GivingTuesday? In case you’re brand new to fundraising or have been living off the grid for the last 10 years, you’re likely familiar with #GivingTuesday. It's the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, #BlackFriday, and #CyberMonday. According to the GivingTuesday … [Read more...]
3 Surefire Ways to Build Your Resilience and Fundraising Confidence
Being a great fundraiser requires RESILIENCE. There’s a lot of rejection in fundraising and hearing "no" over and over can take a toll. Fundraising is part art, part science. There isn’t only one right way to ask for money. Trial and error is par for the course. That’s because fundraising involves humans. And humans have emotions. In … [Read more...]
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Nonprofit Leadership
If you’ve ever heard me speak before, you know how passionate I am about fundraising and nonprofit leadership. My “no-nonsense” attitude comes across loud and clear about board members’ roles and responsibilities with regard to giving, as well as the Executive Director’s important role in fundraising. The following might seem more like a … [Read more...]
Attention Funders and Fundraisers: Capacity Building is Key
Here’s the message of today’s post: Think BIG. Think LONG TERM. Are you changing the world (or your corner of it, at least) by fulfilling your mission? How are you making sure your organization is GROWING? Well, you can't grow effectively when your own donors are limiting your growth. It infuriates me... I’m tired of … [Read more...]
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