Asking for gifts can be scary. Especially if you’ve never done it before. There are many reasons fundraising is frightening. I can think of five right off the top of my head: Fear of rejection Fear of the unknown Fear of messing up the ask Fear of offending the donor Fear of saying something stupid If you’ve never asked for a … [Read more...]
5 Times I Was Wrong About My Approach to Fundraising
The first decade of my fundraising career, I made many mistakes. Of course, mistakes aren’t necessarily bad if you take the opportunity to learn from them. Fortunately, I’m older and wiser now, and I hope you can learn from my own missteps. After 25 years of fundraising, I’ve learned a lot and am happy to pass along these tidbits to you. … [Read more...]
3 Reasons to Start a Capital Campaign Now and How to Get Started
Nearly every nonprofit should embark on a capital campaign at least once every ten years. If your organization hasn’t had a campaign in the last decade, it’s time to start planning one today. You know the expression: If you’re not growing, you’re dying. It's a cliché, but it's also true. If you haven’t accomplished your mission, it’s … [Read more...]
DON’T Do These 12 Things When Asking for a Major Gift
There are many things you “should” do when asking for major gifts. But because there are so many DO's, it might be easier to remember what NOT to do -- i.e., the DON'Ts. Many of the things on this list are things you're likely to already know. But you might forget to implement them in the hustle and bustle of your everyday work. Hopefully, … [Read more...]
The Secret Formula for Raising Major Gifts: 5 Key Components
Let's cut to the chase -- if you want to raise major gifts successfully, you need the right combination of five components: knowledge strategy persistence optimism courage That's it. I've just let you in on the "secret formula" -- and it probably seems pretty straightforward, right? 5 Key Components to Raising Major Gifts … [Read more...]
Year-End Giving is a Sham: A Better Way to Raise Money
Okay, maybe calling year-end giving a sham is a bit extreme. But there *IS* a better way... Most nonprofit leaders rely heavily on year-end fundraising because the holiday appeal letter and/or email brings in 30%, 40%, or 50% or more of the annual fundraising revenue. That’s a whole lot of eggs in one basket, metaphorically speaking. It … [Read more...]
Why You Should Never Raise Major Gifts Alone
Fundraising is a team sport. You may have heard that expression before. And when it comes to major gift fundraising, that’s absolutely true. The more people on your team, the better you are likely to do. Conversely, if you are expected to raise money on your own, it will be harder to do by yourself than if you have the support and … [Read more...]
Asking Made Easy: The 1-2-3 Approach to Soliciting a Gift
Asking for a gift for your nonprofit is easier than you might think. The real challenging part is pushing past your fear of asking. Once you’ve decided to ask, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3. Getting Over Your Fear of Asking for a Gift Getting past the fear of asking is probably the hardest part of all. So let's take a little time to … [Read more...]
The Zen Approach to Modern Fundraising: 11 Paths to Serenity
Fundraising can be stressful. But it doesn’t have to be... Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty. When we use the word today in western culture, we're generally describing then notion of peace and tranquility with the mind and spirit. Yet, peace and tranquility rarely define the life of a … [Read more...]
2022 Fundraising Pep Talk: You CAN Raise Major Gifts! (In Just 6 Steps)
Two months into the new year, two years into the Pandemic, twenty-two years into the century, and let me guess -- you’re still not raising major gifts the way you’d hoped. Something’s got to give. Something’s got to change. No more excuses. There’s no time to waste. THIS will be the year you raise major gifts. First, Face Facts... … [Read more...]
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