Impact Storytelling – translating data to action
Today I was honored to give a webinar with CiviCore on data and impactful stories. I shared one researcher's experience with stumbling on to a form of a story. Then look at studies about using statistics in fundraising versus not using any statistics. We saw images...
![[Guest Post] The Recipe for Nonprofit Committee Failure](https://cdn.fundraisingcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/02225725/kim-donahue.jpg)
[Guest Post] The Recipe for Nonprofit Committee Failure
Today's guest post is from Kim Donahue. Kim is the resident governance expert at Boardable. In a fun tongue-in-cheek tone, she shares a perfect formula for making sure your board committees don't work! And she knows. With over 30 years of nonprofit experience, Kim was...
Be strategic and curious – not a jerk
Did you read the "Outspoken Donor" article in a recent Chronicle of Philanthropy? I didn't like it very much. But some of the donor's experiences with fundraisers are chilling. For example, she says: "Development officers sometimes think that because you gave money to...
Fundraising with an eye to the future
In nonprofit fundraising, the constant pressure to raise more with fewer resources can be so all consuming that we forget to step back and look at future trends. To help us break out of that, we recently had fundraising futurist Trista Harris in The Nonprofit Academy....
#GivingTuesday 2019: How to Build A Successful Fundraising Campaign
The holiday season inspires a certain sense of altruism. Around the world, it’s a season of giving thanks — and often a time for paying this thankfulness forward, too. No day embodies this more than #GivingTuesday, held on the first Tuesday following Thanksgiving....
How to effectively interact with donors
So many fundraising problems can be solved by interacting with donors. Getting to know them. Asking about their interests. Learning their stories. I call it "seeing donors in their natural habitat." But if you've had years and years of only focusing on your nonprofit...
3 steps for less stress in fundraising for the next six months
Do you feel it? The airports and highways are filled with last minute vacation seekers. Back to school supplies are flying off shelves. The school buses are doing practice runs. It's almost the fall. For whatever reason, people seem to "settle in" to a more regular...
What Nonprofit leaders need to know about the brain
Nonprofit work is stressful. So often we go about our work without realizing the effects of that ongoing stress on our brains. But Jessica Sharp does. The founder of Sharp Brain Consulting, Jessica helps leaders and the people they serve. Here she gives insights into...
Giving headlines should grab your attention, but not for the reasons you think
Private coaching clients have been emailing me the doom and gloom articles on the latest Giving USA report. Giving was up about $3 billion but when adjusted for inflation, giving was down in 2018. This should grab our attention. But not for the reasons you think. In...
Why you should come to the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference? Alumni tell you.
Wondering why you should come to this year's Nonprofit Storytelling Conference? I could share why I think you should. It's an event like none I've ever been able to be part of. But as a co-producer of the conference, you'd expect me to say that. So here are some...
![[Guest Post] Using your data to build real relationships](https://cdn.fundraisingcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/02225752/jamie-street-_94HLr_QXo8-unsplash-compass1800w-400x250.png)
[Guest Post] Using your data to build real relationships
Today's guest post is from Neon One's Tim Sarrantonio. He's a fundraiser, a database whiz, and regular conference speaker. A more complete bio comes after this article. You can see his most recent thoughts GIFs on Twitter @midwesttgs How to use data to build authentic...
Are your donors missing the picture?
When you send an email, are your donors missing the picture? Seriously. Many may not have images automatically open. So all you get it a weird blank space. And possibly some words. Those words are the "alt" text. When you add an image to an email or web page, most...
Nonprofit Academy Lifetime 2019 Membership Special!
Leading and funding a nonprofit is surprisingly hard. You got into the work to do good. But others don't see it as quickly as you do. On top of that, nonprofit work can be isolating. As they rise, leaders find fewer and fewer people to confide. And fundraisers?...
Why your fundraising stories don’t work
During my time as a leadership and fundraising coach, I've helped thousands of nonprofit leaders clarify their fundraising stories. Nearly all make the same mistake: they forget the audience - the donors. Take hospitals for instance. Have you ever asked hospital...
![[Question Marc] What is a good voicemail script for fundraising?](https://cdn.fundraisingcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/02231313/questionmarc.jpg)
[Question Marc] What is a good voicemail script for fundraising?
QUESTION: What should I do when I call potential donors but only reach their voicemail? Should I leave a message? If yes, whats a good "script." MY ANSWER: Great question. Years ago, the norm was to not leave a voicemail the first couple times. Only maybe on the third...
5 Tech Strategies for Making a Multi-Channel Fundraising Ask
You already know the importance of fundraising for your nonprofit. Without financial means, it’s more difficult—or even impossible—to achieve your mission. To get there, you’ll need to perfect the art of making a fundraising ask. That is, the process of soliciting...
Setting up solicitations based on hardwiring
.One of the hardest stages of asking for money is getting the appointment. The good news is that getting the appointment is mostly about consistency and polite persistence. But hardwiring plays a role too. In my Quadrant 3 Leadership training, I show participants how...
Email deliverability is more than double opt-in
Nonprofits love sending email. It doesn't take all the printing time of direct mail. And it costs less. But what if your emails aren't getting to your list? In the last few weeks, Google and Yahoo have tweaked their algorithms - the systems they use to determine if...
When in doubt, write a JTOY
Excellent fundraisers know that fundraising is about a relationship with a donor. Since they're a "donor," the relationship is centered around their giving. But it is a relationship. That giving is linked to a donor's values and passions - things that make her...
How to Find Major Donors: The Nonprofit’s Ultimate Guide
Whether your nonprofit seeks to expand its outreach, embark on a new project, or maintain the good work that you’re already doing, you need the significant support of major donors. Major donors make the largest contributions that your organization receives, so your...
48% of US nonprofits say December fundraising was lower than last year
But most say overall 2018 fundraising is the same or better than last year's. What a year 2018 was here in the USA. It started with a lot of nonprofit professionals and boards scared that the new charitable deduction would hurt giving. As the year went on, others...
Get fundraising unstuck by reframing
I just returned from training NGO leaders in Lebanon. Prior to the training, I spent time studying Lebanese philanthropy and interviewing people who'd registered. Fundraising is clearly getting harder. I kept hearing the two reasons it was particularly hard in Lebanon...
Fundraising in the last days of December
Year-end is a huge time for nonprofit's fundraising. There's a debate if the spike in giving is because we ask so much more frequently at this time of year or if it's because people are more generous because of the mix of public and religious holidays combined with...
Who’s leading the army?
Last month, at the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference, I saw Jeff Brooks help nonprofits understand donor communication by sharing a great image. I wrote about it to my Fundraising Kick email subscribers. But I wanted to share it here. Hopefully it'll help as you write...
Capital Campaigns for the 21st Century
Capital campaigns are a mainstay in nonprofit fundraising. There's something special about a time-limited, specific goal like a capital campaign. It gets us motivated to give generously and accomplishes results we can see and touch. But things are changing. For...
A true disruption in fundraising
We often hear people claim they're going to "disrupt" an industry, even fundraising. "This will change everything," they promise. And the implied threat is that you'd better adapt or get left behind. They are usually selling a website or an app that is supposed to...
![[Guest Post] 3 Surprising Things I Learned From Making Recurring Donations to 115 Nonprofits](https://cdn.fundraisingcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/02225840/Brady-Josephson-Bio-Pic-Image.450w-400x250.png)
[Guest Post] 3 Surprising Things I Learned From Making Recurring Donations to 115 Nonprofits
Monthly giving is important for nonprofits. But are we doing it well? To test, Brady Josephson ran an experiment involving giving to 115 nonprofits. And I'm honored that he agreed to write about his findings. Brady is the Vice President of Innovation and Optimization...
Digital Fundraising + Social Media: Your Guide to Raising More
If you’ve been paying attention to recent trends in philanthropic giving, you’ve probably noticed that digital fundraising and online giving have become more and more popular among donors. But how can you make this trend work for you? Digital fundraising never stops...
Are you telling the RIGHT story in your fundraising?
Steven Screen is at it again. Steven is an amazing direct mail and fundraising expert. And he has a way of making me feel uncomfortable. He says the best story for raising money is the "incomplete story." You see, when I write fundraising letters, my first reaction is...
Make the most of the summer
Last week, I sent my Fundraising Kick subscribers a couple ideas on how to make the most of the different pace of the summer. Although Kicks are written for nonprofit CEO's, I thought this might be helpful to a larger group of people as well. Happy New (fiscal) Year,...