Most of my nonprofit executive coaching clients are surprised that so much of my “Ask Without Fear!” fundraising training is based on listening. I guess most of us fall into the trap of thinking that all we need to do is memorize a great schpeal, give it, and wait for the money to roll in.
It [...]

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One of my biggest frustrations is getting a passionate email appeal, clearly stating a need, but not telling me what to do to fix it. Do you want me to give money? Send a letter to the editor?
But it’s worse to get an email asking for a donation without a link to a donation [...]

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Jeff Brooks’ recent post at DonorPowerBlog is such a great reminder: when you’re writing fundraising letters, you need to write like a human being.
He offers a great real-life example of typical copy from a fundraising letter he received.

Winter disasters and other emergencies are on the way. And your gift to [name of charity deleted] [...]

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Usually when we do think about estate giving, or so-called “planned giving,” we tend to think of really rich people.
But the AFP reports shares that a new study by Campbell & Company blows this preconception away. According to the AFP:
Most surprising for fundraisers was that income did not affect the likelihood that donors would make [...]

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In the spirit of the last fundraising secret People give to people, I offer
Fundraising Secret #16: ALWAYS be interested in the donor as a PERSON not as a pocketbook.
Relationships are always our most vital asset. Whether or not people give to us, they are intrinsically important.
That’s not to say we have to pour [...]

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Just read this in MaineBiz:
Report: Maine philanthropy has grown
Maine philanthropy has increased dramatically in recent years, according to a new report from the Maine Community Foundation and the Maine Philanthropy Center.
“Giving in Maine: A Report on Philanthropy 2008″ found that individual giving has grown sevenfold over the last 22 years, from $67 million to $482 [...]

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Reading Stephen Hitchcock’s Open Immediately: Straight Talk on Direct Mail Fundraising, I’ve been reminded of one of the great truths of fundraising, one I’m calling Fundraising Secret #15: people give to people.
This is one of the reasons fundraising letter templates don’t work. They’re like a fundraising version of Mad Libs: easy to fill in [...]

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I’m not an “events” person but they do seem a necessary evil in our field.
And to be fair, they do have lots of other benefits: visibility, engaging volunteers, etc.
So when I saw that this month’s Giving Carnival topic was “Tips For Successful Fundraising Events,” I knew I had to chime in.
The best tip I [...]

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I just had the privilege of speaking at the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes’ annual meeting. What a fun group of people!
As a pastor, it was a blast to speak with people who’s job is to help people in their parish grow in giving. These people were passionate about what they do, and about Who [...]

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I’ve been very “aware” of my blog reading habits since Fundraising Secret #10: Read Blogs.
And I realized I’d signed up for too many.
So many people are writing so many good things.
But I don’t need to read them all.
I just went through my 112 subscriptions and purged. I’m now 50 subscriptions lighter!
Wish I [...]

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