I talk with a lot of nonprofit leaders who get really, really nervous about the wording of their fundraising ask. While I love the intentionality they show in wanting the right words, their fretting reminds me of power ties in the 80’s. Do you remember those? In...
The latest GivingUSA numbers are out. And the numbers aren’t pretty. Yes, the USA recorded over $499 billion was given from non-government sources last year. But the trend of fewer individuals giving accelerated. Individuals gave a 64% of the total – still...
Successful fundraising is built with human relationships. It’s not a mechanical process that you can “turn on” when you need it. I find it’s better to build a habit of consistent communication with donors and prospect rather than trying to...
A common fundraising question from nonprofit leaders is “How many times should I follow up on an ask?” The situation I’m seeing a lot recently: A nonprofit leader asks a donor for a specific amount of money. The donor seems positive and says they...
Has your nonprofit accepted gifts of stock? If not, perhaps donors have mentioned the possibility of giving stock, or you’ve heard about stock giving programs from peers in other organizations. Maybe you’ve never considered soliciting stock from donors but want to...
On Saturday, I was honored to do a training at the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina in Charleston, SC for founders of nonprofits in the Facebook Grant for Supporting Black Communities program. During the training, a question was asked that I think we all...
