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...]
A Capital Campaign Tool You Can Use to Raise Major Gifts
The most important capital campaign tool is the gift range chart. This chart demonstrates how many gifts (and donors, and prospective donors) at each level (amount) it will take a reach your goal. Traditionally this tool has been used exclusively for capital campaigns, but the principles apply equally to raising major gifts for your annual … [Read more...]
How to Be Happier and More Productive at Your Nonprofit Fundraising Job
One of the keynote speeches I regularly give as I travel the country is called Happiness, Habits, and Nonprofit Fundraising: Strategies to Survive and Thrive. I developed this speech because I encounter so many unhappy fundraisers. Sadly, many development professionals are miserable at work. And that’s a real shame, because you didn’t get … [Read more...]
Would Your Nonprofit Pass a Fundraising Audit? 5 Critical Rules
There are some basic and universal fundraising principles that should be followed by every nonprofit organization. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, these “rules” of fundraising are frequently broken. Sometimes fundraising best practices are not followed due to lack of staff and resources. Other times it’s simply a lack of … [Read more...]
10 Ways Nonprofit Women can Support their Fellow Women at Work
Recently I asked for your suggestions on women-specific topics to write about. The feedback was overwhelming -- in a good way. I truly appreciate all the suggestions and I always love hearing from my followers. Several of you suggested that I write about the importance of women supporting other women in the workplace. Unfortunately, it … [Read more...]
September 11, 2001: A Fundraiser’s Reflections Nearly 20 Years Later
If you’re over 30 years old, it’s likely you remember where you were when you first learned that two planes flew into the Twin Towers back in September of 2001. I’ll never forget. I was sitting in my car in a parking lot, waiting to go into an interview for a fundraising job at Rutgers University (Douglass College), my Alma mater. … [Read more...]
Nonprofit Board Governance Best Practices: The Shocking Truth
The shocking truth about nonprofit board governance best practices (and how they impact raising major gifts) is that many nonprofit board governance best practices are often ignored by nonprofit professionals and volunteers -- including perhaps the most important best practice for any nonprofit board. So that begs the question: … [Read more...]
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