by Marc A. Pitman | Jul 20, 2017 | 2. Engage, 3. Ask, Fundraising Letters, Fundraising Secrets, Stories
I recently blogged about a storytelling tip for nonprofit leaders that I learned from Kindra Hall. The tip is especially powerful in nonprofit fundraising.Kindra took the millenia old story structure - beginning, middle, end - and reframed it as normal, explosion, new...
by Marc A. Pitman | Jun 21, 2017 | 3. Ask
Today, the fundraising think tank Rogare published "Less Than My Job's Worth." In this important "green" paper - a paper created for discussion - Rogare's director Ian MacQuillin exams the questions "is fundraising a profession?" and "does it matter if fundraising...
by Marc A. Pitman | Jun 19, 2017 | 3. Ask, Fundraising Secrets, Stories
Years ago, I wrote about Zig Ziglar teaching that nobody wants a drill. He said millions of drills are sold every year. But no one wants a drill. They want a hole. The same is true with donors.No donor wants to make a donation. Donors want the value the donation will...
by Marc A. Pitman | May 25, 2017 | 1. Research, 3. Ask, Board Members
Last week, I was able to listen to a terrific discussion from business leaders about how their organizations make corporate gifts to charities. It's always good to hear the thought process of donors. But it sometimes raises more questions than it settles.Seeking...
by Marc A. Pitman | May 12, 2017 | 3. Ask, Internet & Social Media
Effective email fundraising can seem like a mystery. As a nonprofit, you take a lot of time to craft your email. You balance images with words. And you often build up to the ask.Unfortunately, donors aren't reading your emails like they read a book! They're skimming....
by Marc A. Pitman | Feb 15, 2017 | 3. Ask, Fundraising Myths, Internet & Social Media
Speaking at a conference recently, fundraisers kept peppering me with questions related to fundraising. Some of those in the audience balanced their entire annual budget on a crowdfunding campaign.That is plain crazy.Yes, crowdfunding has opened up philanthropy and...
