Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Ideas & Strategies
Annual Giving, Year-End Fundraising CampaignsThere are three key steps you can take as early as possible that will help you engage the right leadership donors.
When “Friendraising” Works Better Than Fundraising
Annual Giving, Board Members & Fundraising, Donor-Centered FundraisingGifts of Stock: Your Biggest Opportunity for the Year-End Giving Season
Annual Giving, Year-End Fundraising CampaignsYour biggest opportunity for mega year-end gifts is to seek gifts of stock.
Donor Renewals: The Easiest Gifts to Close for Your Year-End Campaign
Annual Giving, Year-End Fundraising CampaignsDonor renewals offer the quickest, easiest gifts for your year-end campaign. Here's how to keep your current donors from slipping away.
Messaging in the New Landscape: Why Simple Storytelling is Not Enough
Annual Giving, Marketing & CommunicationsMessaging to donors needs to change. You need to be more authentic, friendly and completely transparent about finances.
Step Up Your Ask With These Proven Strategies
Annual Giving, Asking for Donations, Major Gifts We are coming up on year-end and, as usual, there is one thing on fundraisers’ minds: “How can I effectively use this season to ask for gifts?” I hope you are not thinking of using these themes or phrases in your appeals: “Please…
How to Ride the Wave of Generosity with #GivingTuesday
Annual Giving A wonderful day for fundraising is coming up - GivingTuesday! We think GivingTuesday is a wonderful initiative. There are plenty of major gift pundits out there who think Giving Days are a distraction and a dead end, but we take issue. From…
Take Heart: Donors Are Still Giving to All Sorts of Causes
Annual GivingShould you be actively fundraising right now? Yes or no? If you are a no – then you have company. Many organizations are officially holding off on gift conversations or asks, even if their donors are ready have a gift discussion. We think…
Penelope Burk’s Favorite Wealth Screening Tool (Video)
Annual Giving, Donor-Centered Fundraising, Major Giftshttps://vimeo.com/352765737/f252bfdbc3 Here's a hot tip from fundraising guru Penelope Burk. Kathryn Gamble and I had lunch with her at the NC Philanthropy Conference in Charlotte, NC this week. Kathryn and I had a packed room for our…
Trend #7: Monthly Donors Are Going UP!
Annual Giving Great news - more and more people are becoming monthly donors to their favorite causes! Thank goodness. After so much dismal reporting about small donors dropping off, overall rates of giving going down, and retention rates declining…
Trend #4: 5 Ways to Overcome Declining Trust and Wary Donors
Annual Giving This is the fourth installment in my series on major trends that will impact your fundraising results: the huge issue of declining trust and wary donors. Donors are losing trust in nonprofits - and giving less. So how do we deal with the…
Strengthen Your Fundraising Appeal With the “IPM” Formula
Annual Giving, Asking for Donations, Major Gifts Here’s a very smart, efficient way to present your fundraising appeal. It forces you to be crystal clear about the three fundamental parts of any formal Ask: What impact it will make (I) What project it will fund…
Three Quick Ways to Snag Last Minute Online Gifts
Annual Giving, Year-End Fundraising Campaigns We're approaching the last week of the year. You know what that means! Hopefully - it means a flood of online gifts and donations through your digital donation portal. There’s a lot of money in play for deserving nonprofits in these last…
Thanksgiving is a Great Time for DonorLove!
Annual Giving It's the week of Thanksgiving here in the U.S. and we are counting our blessings. Your donors are a great blessing to your cause because they make your organization's work possible. So, why not take advantage of the season and send loving…
Don’t Make These 5 Mistakes In Your Fundraising Appeal Letter
Annual Giving, Asking for Donations, Fundraising Strategy, Marketing & Communications, Year-End Fundraising Campaigns Fundraising appeal letter mistakes - 5 key items to avoid Your year-end appeal letter just might be missing the boat. Here are some common fundraising appeal letter mistakes I see so very often: 1. Your call to action is weak. Lots…
Creating a Donor-Centered Appeal Letter: A Makeover
Annual Giving, Asking for Donations, Donor-Centered Fundraising, Marketing & CommunicationsWant to create a donor-centered appeal letter? It's more difficult than you think, it's not very intuitive. It doesn't come naturally. When we actually sit down to write a letter, our natural inclination is to remind our donor how worthwhile…