How personal should your social media be?
A few weeks ago, a Twitter hashtag, #lessambitiousmovies, caught my attention. It was around 10:30 p.m. after a hard day and I had a blast coming up with appropriate movie titles. Apparently I tweeted alot in 30 minutes! @jonaha sent me this screenshot. I'd totally...
How to write effective fundraising letters
In writing up a project for a client, I drafted this short reminder on how to write effective fundraising letters. What else would you add? The letter is personalized “Dear Friend” doesn’t cut it. Studies show the first thing people look for is their address is at the...
My top 5 favorite Android apps
Last month I got my first Android, a Samsung Mesmerize. I love it. I do miss the keyboard of my Blackberry. But I'm ok with that. Here are my favorite apps: Hootsuite I love that HootSuite [affiliate link] lets me tweet from my two accounts as well as update my...
Are Nonprofits Keeping Up With the New Volunteer?
This week, I'm honored to introduce Joanne Fritz. Joanne is the About.com guide for their Nonprofit and Charitable Orgs section. She originally posted this wake-up call on her blog there. Read it and take a hard look at how you're stewarding volunteers! by Joanne...
The “Ask Without Fear!” DVD pre-release announcement
Earlier this month, I mentioned how excited I was about the products that I've got coming out this year. Today, I get to announce another really cool offering: the "Ask Without Fear! DVD"! Many of you who've read my book or attended my seminars have asked for a DVD...
The 3 things to get you over the fear of asking
Have you ever been put on the spot by an excellent question? Last week, I was speaking at a Rotary Club. At the end of the presentation, one man asked this question: For some of us, we'd rather have a long, sharp wooden stick put in our eye than ask people for money....
55 quotes on fundraising & giving
I've just created a page of the inspirational quotations used in my fundraising training book. These have helped so many of the thousands of people that have read the book that I'll also be sharing some of them on Twitter with the hashtag #awfquotes. There are 55...
Kindle edition of “Ask Without Fear!” reformatted!
I published the first Kindle edition of my fundraising training book almost three years ago! It was first a PDF, not very Kindle-friendly. Then I created a file through Amazon's digital publishing tool. I'm pleased to announce that today, I uploaded a professionally...
![[Guest Post] 10 Ways to Successfully Chair an Event](https://cdn.fundraisingcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/02230950/laynegray.png)
[Guest Post] 10 Ways to Successfully Chair an Event
This week, I'm honored to introduce Vivanista. Vivanista is a member-based, lifestyle community for charitable volunteers. I really like their practical tips as well as their emphasis in women in philanthropy. Check out their tools at Vivanista.com This top 10 list...
Introducing Fundraising Kick: Sometimes it’s all you need!
Because sometimes all you need is a little kick! This year, I've got a lot of great products and services I'll be rolling out to help you raise money. Today, I want to introduce you to a cool new service I'm really excited about called "Fundraising Kick." I've had the...
Nonprofit Marketing: Keep It Simple Stupid
I just watched this video from Scott Harrison, founder of charity:water filmed at last year's NextGenCharity conference. Watch this. Scott's background helped him to actually hear people's objections to normal "charity." So he set out to create a different kind of...
Fundraising Job Opportunity: Washington STEM
I regularly am notified of job openings. To help readers of FundraisingCoach.com, I'll start posting them again. I'm not connected with any of these searches so I provide the link for more information. Washington STEM is hiring. Washington STEM is "a new 501c3 formed...
A Brief History of Philanthropy: 501Videos Movie Monday
I love 501 Videos free Movie Mondays. And I love history. So I loved listening to today's "Brief History of Philanthropy" video! Looking at ancient history, including named giving opportunities in Ephesus, Stuart takes us right up to the present. All in about 5...
Top Fundraising Coach Blog Posts in 2010
These were the highest traffic blog posts in 2010. Interestingly, four of them weren't written in 2010! And you've really liked, my new series of guest bloggers. 40% of the top ten were written by them. Thanks for helping make this a great year! #10 Fundraising...
Creating an environment for goal success
Yesterday's free goal setting mastermind was a lot of fun! The hour flew by without my mentioning one of the most important steps in successfully accomplish goals is crafting your environment. I could give tips and pointers on how clients have shaped their...
Donation Days!
As I've said in earlier posts, studies show that more than 20% of donations are received today and tomorrow. How have you prepared for this? What are you doing over the next two days to make it ridiculously easy for donors to give? When I was running a development...
Crafting subjects for year-end fundraising emails
All month, I've been seeing some odd email subjects trying to get me to give. Would you open any of these? An Appeal From [Nonprofit] CEO [Name] It's Not Too Late for Your 2010 Tax Deduction: Support [nonprofit] Today Since we are at year-end, could you re-visit your...
Merry Christmas from the Pitman Family!
A fun video from my family to yours! Without them, I wouldn't be able to do all I do at FundraisingCoach! I posted this to Facebook earlier today. If we're not friends on Facebook let's fix that! I'm at: http://facebook.com/marcapitman
Wreck the resolutions! Join the Free Goal Setting Mastermind Call
Wreck the New Year Resolutions! Statistically, they'll be over by the end of January anyway! Lets set goals for 2011 that will bring us through the year. So I'm offering a free conference call on Thursday, December 30 to help us jumpstart 2011. There have been lots of...
Could you help with a 3 question survey
All year, people have told me that hour long webinars are just too long. We're all pressed for time. So I'm starting a 22 Minute Institute: 22 minute webinars focusing on some aspect of either: Fundraising, Leadership, or Social Media Would you help me shape this...
Don’t coast through this week!
Many people will be taking this week to relax, at least mentally. Especially in countries that celebrate Christmas. But as I just reminded the members of 501 Mission Place, those of us in fundraising can't afford to rest yet. I mentioned in an earlier post on thanking...
Suggested Reading for Goal Setting
In earlier posts, I gave a brief overview a goal setting process I use. And I warned that nothing about it was original. Here are some of the books that have helped me over the years: Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" [amazon affiliate link],...
Google Chrome for a Cause: Boon or bust?
I just saw a tweet from @legaleagle2010 about the USAToday's story on Google's Chrome for a Cause. Apparently, installing this extension will let you donate money for every tab you open in a day. You're able to choose to support either: The Nature Conservancy,...
![[Guest Post] 7 ways to thank a donor](https://cdn.fundraisingcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/02231255/david_mersky.gif)
[Guest Post] 7 ways to thank a donor
This week I'm thrilled to introduce you to David A. Mersky. David is the Founder and Managing Director of Mersky, Jaffe & Associates, a consulting firm that works with nonprofits to provide financial and human resource development solutions. More importantly, he's...
SMART Goals – a fun look at a goal setting acronym
In the last post on goal setting, we looked at how to identify goals for all areas of your life. I firmly believe that if you did nothing more than write those goals down, you'll be exponentially more effective at accomplishing them. S.M.A.R.T. Goals Explained But you...
Give a goat! A great social media call to action
Check out this very effective call to action. World Vision took a page out of Heifer International's catalog and adapted it to a social media world. The text is just: Help save a child's life with milk, cheese and more! Give a goat Clicking on the image takes...
Goal Setting for Personal and Professional Development
I just love the week of Thanksgiving. Having those few days off to be with family and friends puts me in a reflective mode that I find perfect for formalizing my 2011 goals. I say "formalizing" because I'm constantly working on my goals, scheduling speaking gigs and...
![[Guest Post] Why it’s time for YOU to say good-bye to free WiFi](https://cdn.fundraisingcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/02231221/petershankman.jpg)
[Guest Post] Why it’s time for YOU to say good-bye to free WiFi
I've long been a fan of Peter Shankman and the company he founded called HARO. Last month he posted a warning about free wifi that resonated with me. He gave me permission to repost it here. I hope it helps keep you safe! Why it's time for YOU to say good-bye to free...
There and back again: A fundraising trainer’s journey to New Zealand
I checked out my site today and saw the message on the left from my TripIt widget. It's good to be home. But I had a great time doing fundraising training for the last few weeks in New Zealand. I taught 9 times in about 10 days: 5 times at the TONIC conference in...
Membership Dues vs. Annual Fund
This week I'm honored to introduce Ken Meifert. Ken is the Senior Director of Development at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY. He's overseen the growth of their membership program from 7,000 to more than 30,000 members. So I've asked...