by Marc A. Pitman | Jan 27, 2009 | 3. Ask, Fundraising Secrets
True confessions: ten days ago I freaked out. I’m an optimist by nature. You know that “Is the glass half-full or half-empty” question? My standard answer is that it’s always full. It’s always got something in it: air, liquid, something....
by Marc A. Pitman | Jan 21, 2009 | 2. Engage, 3. Ask
The Chronicle of Philanthropy pointed to a report by The Economist on research showing that public recognition may motivate donors to give bigger gifts. Dan Ariely of Duke University, Anat Bracha of Tel Aviv University, and Stephan Meier of Columbia University sought,...
by Marc A. Pitman | Jan 16, 2009 | 3. Ask, Events
@Philanthropy pointed me to a humor piece in the New Yorker called Looking Forward to Your Check. The invitation to a fictitious fundraising event starts out with: The Benefit Committee wishes to remind all Subscribers that the thrill for those pledging as much money...
by Marc A. Pitman | Dec 30, 2008 | 2. Engage, 3. Ask, Fundraising Letters
If you’re not reading Seth Godin’s blog, you may want to make it a New Year’s Resolution to start! He recently had a pithy blog post on improving copywriting using the slogan on the sign in a Peets’ Coffee store “Unlike Any Coffee...
by Marc A. Pitman | Dec 16, 2008 | 3. Ask
The end of the year is coming upon us with unrelenting speed. Even if it’s not the end of your fiscal year, this is a tremendously important time. And there’s just over 2 weeks to go. I tend to focus on soliciting individuals…or rather...
by Marc A. Pitman | Dec 11, 2008 | 2. Engage, 3. Ask, Odd
Like many Americans, I’ve been inundated with news stories about the Big 3 automakers attempts to get a federal loan of billions of dollars. Yes, billions. So I started wondering, what if the Big 3 were to teach nonprofits how to fundraise? Some of the humorous...
