3 ways to help board members with leaving the board
I've had the opportunity to work with a lot of boards this year. And I'm devastated by how many board members have been telling me, "They're just interested in my money" and "They don't really care about the board; they just do their own thing anyway." Even when board...
How many more no’s can you get this month?
I really like the book Go For No! [amazon affiliate link]. It helped change my perspective on getting a "no." In this brief video, I tell you what I mean! In April, I interviewed Go For No! author Andrea Waltz as part of a special program for Fundraising Kick members....
Creative messages stick!
Cleaning my desk, I just found this "chew on this" card from our local homeless shelter. I must've received it 4-6 months ago. In that time, I've thrown out more pamphlets and brochures than I can count. But I kept this card. Maybe it was the size--bigger than a...
3 wicked easy tips to make your fundraising phone calls more effective
The phone is an important tool in the fundraiser's tool kit. Whether your fiscal year ends this month or not, June should involve a lot of phone calling. But we often forget to do these three things. Video not showing? Watch it on YouTube at...
5 Tips to Maximize Twitter chats
I last posted on Twitter chats back in April in the post 5 Twitter Tips for Fundraisers. Since then, I've really stepped up my participation in Twitter chats, particularly #blogchat: primarily about blogging; occurs most Sunday nights at 9 p.m. Eastern #speakchat:...
Thoughts on working social media from April’s #SMBME
April's Social Media Breakfast Maine was awesome. The bacon was amazing (as always). And the presentation by CC Chapman was great too! I recently found a copy of a blog post from a Blackbaud seminar that was just sort of "stream of consciousness." So I thought I'd add...
3 fundraising ideas for a strong finish to your fiscal year
For many of us, June is the end of the fiscal year. There is still time to make sure you finish this year strong. Here are my three suggestions: Revisit your no's Last year a friend told me about a campaign she was working on. Since I was familiar with her community,...
Would you help me name my next book?
One of the complaints I have received about Ask Without Fear! is that it doesn't include anything about social media. That was intentional. I wrote Ask Without Fear! for board members and volunteers. I wanted the book and subsequent DVD to be empowering and...
An introduction to the DISC personality assessment
I love assessments and tests. I love taking the MBTI and the Highlands Ability Battery. One of the most popular things I share in my fundraising trainings is the D.I.S.C. personality assessment. People love how it helps them not only relate to donors but to their own...
How trade shows are like fundraising
Yesterday, I had the privilege of representing my social media coaching with the Human Business Works team at a trade show called the "New England Xpo." Trade shows are weird. Trade shows remind me of my work as an admissions counselor. You stand at a booth, waiting...
Fundraising is like a Waldorf Salad
For more free fundraising tips right to your inbox, sign up for the free Ask Without Fear! email newsletter at: https://fundraisingcoach.com/subscribe/ Forrest Gump could have said, Momma always said, 'Fundraising's like a Waldorf Salad. You gotta mix it up to get the...
Learning social media with an 11 year old
I've been learning a bit about social media and marketing from my 11 y.o. son. He just posted this animation this morning, but it all ready has over 1,800 2000 views! [It's gotten another 200+ since I started writing this blog post!] He creates these animations from...
How often are you sending bulk emails?
This week I am pleased to introduce you to Naomi Hamilton. Based in Australia, Naomi is the Digital Marketing Consultant for Blackbaud Pacific. This was originally published on the NetWitsThinkTank blog, where she's a regular contributor. And you can follow her on...
Time Management Tip: Schedule your to-do’s
Ever have one of those to-do lists that keeps getting added to but never seems to have things getting crossed off? They can become garbage barges loaded with the guilt of undone tasks. Here's a quick tip to help you get more done: schedule your to-do's. Tools like...
Is Google keeping people off your site?
Have you seen this? I just Googled "How social should personal media be?" to find an image on my site. What I got, was this: Can you believe it? I moused over my post and *pop* - there was the image of my site. And the section of the page with the close match to my...
Where do you find new donors?
I love LinkedIn Answers! Answering other people questions is nice. But I love seeing people's answers to questions I ask. I'm currently asking What do YOU say when asked "Where do you find donors?". You see, I work with a lot of start-up nonprofits. And many, many of...
Where do you find new donors?
I love LinkedIn Answers! Answering other people questions is nice. But I love seeing people's answers to questions I ask. I'm currently asking What do YOU say when asked "Where do you find donors?". You see, I work with a lot of start-up nonprofits. And many, many of...
Two $4 million surprise gifts
The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported of a couple of $4 million gifts give to surprised nonprofits. According to the story, a Pasadena couple, Robert and Adrienne Westerbeck, gave $4 million to each of their alma maters. As is typical in stories like this (and...
“Content Rules” is a must for nonprofit fundraisers & marketers
I took today as a reading day, and committed to reading the copy of Content Rules [amazon affiliate link]. What a great book! Share or Solve; Don't Shill My favorite chapter is called "Share or Solve; Don't Shill." Ann Handley & CC Chapman talk about the importance of...
This fundraising appeal sucks
I was in a service club meeting, hearing an extremely compelling story of a nonprofit outreach. The people were passionate, the results were impressive. And then they ruined it. They said something like: "We'll be seeking sponsorships because, well, we're a nonprofit...
Another take on mobile giving
After my post about mobile giving apps, I learned about a new free app called TexTango. The idea isn't specifically for nonprofits. This app pays you to text. You download it for free and there is no monthly fee. By using this app instead of your phone's native SMS...
5 tips for email fundraising
This summer is my class reunion from Milton Academy. (A George Bush was president when I graduated but I won't tell you which one.) All reunions have class gifts. As a fundraising coach, I figured fundraising from my classmates should be a cinch. It wasn't! I found...
Ask Without Fear turns 3 and is now worth $142.96
It's been three years since Ask Without Fear! came out! What a wild ride it's been! I wrote Ask Without Fear! because there were so many wonderful causes here in Maine with amazingly passionate volunteers, but they were chronically underfunded. A few could afford to...
12 travel tips for the flying fundraiser
Last week, Chris Brogan offered an extensive list of travel tips. He asked what we'd add here are some of mine. There are some duplicates, but that's just how it is. Read Chris' Tips for Flying post and the comments There are some incredibly helpful tips in the post...
The Force and Fundraising
Happy Star Wars Day! May the 4th has become an unofficial Star Wars holiday, given the pun on "May the Force be with you." (Back in Catholic school, my friends and I would respond, "And also with you." Being extra witty--in my own mind--I replied "This is a reading...
1 simple change to make your blog comments stand out
Commenting on blogs is a great way to grow your online community and to make connections with people. Blog comment basics We all know blog posts shouldn't be spammy or sales pitches. Ok, not everyone knows this, but it would be nice if they did! Comments should be on...
3 Ways that Fundraising is like the Royal Wedding
I woke up this morning to my Twitter stream being filled with tweets about the royal wedding--both people watching it and people tweeting about people watching it! Those tweets got me thinking about fundraising...because that's just how I am. 🙂 3 Ways the Royal...
How to use Twitter lists
Yesterday, I showed you how to How to build a Twitter list. Now that you can make them, how should you use them? Types of lists You could create lists of: boards members and your assigned donors: you'll be able to build relationships right from your desk people with...
How to build a Twitter list
It's no secret that I love Twitter. But all the tweets in one stream can be completely overwhelming. Years ago, there was a time when I'd get home from work and my wife would ask, "Did you see my tweet?" Well, I hadn't. And I felt awful. I'd seen lots of tweets, but...
Show ’em you love ’em
April is "volunteer appreciation" month. Last week, the ED of a nonprofit gave whoopie pies to each of us on the board. In presenting them, she said, "April is volunteer appreciation month. So each year we do something to say 'thank you' to each of you on the board....