Building relationships with current and prospective donors (donor cultivation) is easier said than done. It takes patience, persistence, and a lot of smiling. For new (and seasoned) fundraisers, it can be mystifying how to build genuine, lasting relationships that inspire donors to give time and again. Donor Cultivation is a Team … [Read more...]
How to Ask for a Major Gift: 5 Clear Steps in 30 Minutes (or Less)
Today, you're going to learn how to ask for a major gift in five very clear steps. You'll need about 30 minutes of time total to carry out these steps. But before diving in to the "how-to", it's important to know WHEN and WHERE to ask for a major gift. Knowing WHEN to Ask for a Major Gift Let’s assume you’ve built a fairly good … [Read more...]
How to Engage Your Nonprofit Board in Just 15 Minutes per Month
Welcome back to Major Gift Fundraising 201, where we discuss fundraising basics and beyond! You can check out the first post in this series here. Today we’re going to be talking about how to engage your board members in only 15 minutes per month. Engage Your Nonprofit Board in Just 15 Minutes per Month This topic is really important to … [Read more...]
Major Gift Fundraising 201: Board Basics for Raising Bigger Gifts
Whenever I speak at conferences about how to raise major gifts, one of the first topics I cover (after determining what the term major gift actually means) is board member engagement. I ask audience members (or workshop participants) to raise their hands if their organization has 100% participation. In other words, if every board member … [Read more...]
Should Fundraisers Work Christmas Week? What Do You Think?
Historically, nonprofit organizations have raised the majority (more than half) of their fundraising income in the last six weeks of the year, with a large portion of that income arriving during the last week of the year. Not only that, but it’s not unheard of for donors to show up at a nonprofit organization, stock certificate in hand, on … [Read more...]
Setting Goals to Raise More Money: What’s Your ONE THING?
As we head into the New Year, it’s only natural to start reflecting on the year gone by and begin planning for the year to come. As you begin this process, you’ll want to think about things you did well and those you wish you’d done better. The years seem to go by faster and faster. It’s hard to imagine that it was 20 years ago when we … [Read more...]
Asking Permission to Ask and More Great Advice from Bill Bartolini, ACFRE
Last week I spoke at Congress (AFP’s signature Canadian conference). This conference attracts some of the best speakers worldwide, in addition to fundraisers from across Canada. Between my sessions, I sat in on a talk given by fundraising expert, Bill Bartolini, ACFRE. Who is Bill Bartolini, ACFRE? If you’re unfamiliar with Bill … [Read more...]
The Amazing Power of Authenticity When Building Donor Relationships
At a recent board retreat I was facilitating, a board member challenged me. He said that he felt the donor cultivation strategies I was discussing seemed contrived. He didn’t believe we could develop real relationships with donors because the ulterior motive was to raise money. However, this particular board member was missing one key fact … [Read more...]
Why You Must Keep Learning as a Fundraiser: If You’re Not Growing, You’re Dying
Many nonprofit professionals tell me they can’t afford to attend fundraising conferences, workshops, or trainings. My response is, you can’t afford not to... literally. While some national and international conferences may be out of reach (in terms of budget) for many professionals, there are plenty of local and online trainings which are … [Read more...]
Want to Raise More Money when Fundraising? Go on a Listening Tour
Recently I was on a coaching call with a new client who doesn’t have experience raising major gifts. We discussed his plans for raising money from individual donors before year end. His idea was to call as many businesses as possible to “get meetings,” then tell them about all the amazing work his organization was doing, and then ask for a … [Read more...]
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