4 Fundraising Tips for your Nonprofit from Jerry Panas
Facebook used this picture to remind me that twelve years ago, I was with Jerry Panas at a fundraising training at the University of Southern Maine. What struck me about the picture is the pad of paper beside Jerry. These few fundraising tips are powerful. And they'll...
4 Tips To Recruit Volunteers For Your Next Major Event
Between working out all the logistics, sending invitations, and actually hosting your event, there’s a lot that goes into a successful nonprofit event. Recruiting and screening volunteers might seem like just another time-consuming task to add to your already massive...
The biggest mistake with major gift asks
One of the biggest mistakes I see with major gift solicitations is incredibly easy to fix. If you've ever made an appointment for a major gift ask, you've probably felt the stress of "getting it wrong." The worry that you might offend the other. Or that you won't have...
Fundraising Kick: Don’t Grow Weary
This issue of the weekly Fundraising Kick seems to have come at the perfect time for subscribers. So I'm sharing it here as well. Fundraising Kick coaching emails are written for busy nonprofit CEOs and my private coaching clients. The goal is to remind people who...
3 Ways to Stay Connected With Your Nonprofit’s Supporters
Many organizations make the fatal mistake of asking their donors for gifts over and over again without a break for other types of communication. However, when you don’t vary the type of communications and engagement opportunities with your supporters, your donors may...
Fire that donor!
A nonprofit fundraising plan that adjusts with the time
Today's guest post is from T. Clay Buck, Founder & Principal of TCBFundraising. A Master Trainer, Clay also teaches at the University of Nevada. He's been on all sides of a nonprofit - running the fundraising, analyzing nonprofit databases, and consulting to...
Nonprofit Mission and Case Statements: 4 Top Tips
Today's article covers an integral project for all nonprofits - creating and refining mission and case statements. These documents are a vital foundation for all communication activities a nonprofit will undertake, as Grant Cobb, Head of Marketing and Analytics at...
Should I ask my friends?
One of the scariest things about fundraising is the fear that you'll ruin relationships. One of the most common questions I get as a fundraising coach is "Should I send this appeal to people I hangout with?" Last week, an accomplished nonprofit leaders asked me just...
How to Make the Most of Your Next Text-to-Donate Campaign
In today’s fundraising landscape, the importance of mobile platforms cannot be overstated. Researchers estimate that by 2025, almost 75% of internet users worldwide will only use their smartphones to access the internet. That represents an astonishing shift to heavy...
A Leader’s Social Media Presence: 4 Ways to Make It Count
Do you doubt the power of your, and your nonprofit’s, social media presence to be a powerful tool for connecting with supporters? Maybe you’ve maintained your brand across profiles and networks, regularly posted, and even used advertisements to reach new audiences....
Going beyond a no in your nonprofit fundraising ask
I recently heard author Andrea Waltz remind fundraisers to "go for no!" (That's the name of her book too.) It's a reminder that too often we give up before the donor has really made a decision. Reframing Failure She also shared the need for us to reframe the word...
3 problems with the major gift as carrot analogy
Have you ever been about to ask for a major gift only to be warned about the carrot in the garden? It goes something like this: "Sure, you could ask them now. But it might be better to wait. You see, if you were to pull a carrot now, it might come up really small. But...
4 specific tips for each stage of the ask
When it comes down to it, successful fundraising is about successfully executing the basics. When you want to raise money for something, be sure to do these fundraising basics: Research Remember, run your dollar goal through a gift range calculator. This helps you...
Tracking Performance: 6 Fundraising Data Points You Need
Most fundraising professionals know that having good information is the secret to increased revenue, stronger relationships, and more successful appeals. By analyzing the donor data you have available, you can learn volumes about donor motivation and behavior, then...
We’re not selling t-shirts
Fundraising isn't just about raising money one time. If it were, we could sell t-shirts. Fundraising is about connecting values - the values of donors with the values of your cause. Sure, there are times when we just need the transactional. We need to pay the bills....
Doubt in fundraising isn’t surprising – it just might be a gift
There are a number of misconceptions about what being a successful nonprofit leader and fundraiser looks like. One of the most common is that the leader needs to be 100% confident. Completely sure about themselves at all times. If they aren't sure, how can they ask...
3 Things to do Now to Successfully Finish Year-end Fundraising
There is so much information on year-end fundraising out there right now. And, let's face it, so many of us are tired. Ready to stop. But if you run a nonprofit or run nonprofit fundraising, this is not the time to take two weeks off. Here's the advice I gave...
Thanking donors is NOT an activity report
Fundraising is filled with things that seem to make sense, but don't. One of those areas is when it comes to thanking donors. When we thank donors, we think we need to prove to them that we did great work. So we fill our donor newsletters with Statistics (we fed X...
Asking is (almost) more about listening
In the last few weeks, I’ve had interesting conversations with people about asking. CEOs who think that asking is a “schpeal” – a precise formula of words that will get the prospect to give generously. Or that asking is a step by step process so precise that they can...
Leadership and Fundraising in a Pandemic
This week, I was honored to be the guest on Eliz Greene and Thom Singer's show, The Webinar Talk Show. We talked about leadership, fundraising, events, and sales in a pandemic. I loved Eliz's story about a fundraising appeal that wowed her. And Thom's observations on...
How NOT to write a fundraising letter
Have you ever written a fundraising letter? A fundraising letter you felt really proud about? One that presented your nonprofit in an amazing light. That showed how good you were working in your cause. One that was sure to convince donors to give to you? I have too....
![[Guest Post] 10 Tips for Creating a Highly Effective Planned Giving Appeal](https://cdn.fundraisingcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/02225526/3223920178_85c26133df_c-400x250.jpg)
[Guest Post] 10 Tips for Creating a Highly Effective Planned Giving Appeal
Today's guest post is from the "Planned Giving evangelist," Tony Martignetti. Tony is the host of Nonprofit Radio and the creator of the Planned Giving Accelerator. Both as frontline fundraiser and as a consultant, he's helped nonprofits raise over $100 million. You...
What is a major gift fundraiser to do with all this free time?
For decades, we've known that face-to-face meetings were the best way to raise major gifts. Talking directly to people. Taking them on a tour of the project. Being in the same space as the donors. Meeting face-to-face is so important, most major gift officers' job...
4 Smart Donor Segmentation Strategies for Nonprofits
As a nonprofit professional, you know how important it is to cultivate deep and meaningful relationships with your supporters. It’s even more important to work toward these relationships during difficult times. To effectively build these relationships, times of...
A different look at “Deadlines drive donations”
Today is the start of the last week of the fiscal year for many nonprofits. And one thing we know about fundraising: deadlines drive donations. Year after year, we've seen even arbitrary deadlines like galas or the end of the fiscal year generate fundraising bumps. Do...
![[Guest Post] 6 Lessons Learned by Attending Virtual Fundraising Events](https://cdn.fundraisingcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/02225552/iStock-1216836287-wine-glass-virtual-party1800w-alpha-400x250.png)
[Guest Post] 6 Lessons Learned by Attending Virtual Fundraising Events
On a recent call, I heard a concept that really impressed me. Amanda Herlihy is the Director of Development South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities Foundation. She knew that she was going to have to shift her fundraising events to a virtual format....
Donor generosity is astounding
When we entered the pandemic lockdown here in the United States, nonprofits were rightly concerned about potentially plummeting donations. Those of us who'd been in fundraising through disasters and economic downturns, knew there'd be an initial spike in giving. But...
3 ways for board members to fundraise even when stuck at home
The pandemic continues to change the way we've always done things. What if you're a board member who's stuck at home? How can you support your nonprofit's fundraising? 3 Ways to Help Your Nonprofit Fundraise in a Pandemic People are still being generous. They are...
Shifting focus in crowdfunding
This week, international crowdfunding expert Anita Gallagher came to The Nonprofit Academy to teach us the latest trends on successful crowdfunding. The shift in messaging may surprise you. Appealing to the Head or Heart? For a long time, nonprofit fundraisers have...