How to Invite Donors to an Event or Porch Party (1)

How to Invite Donors to an Event or Porch Party

Staging a porch party or small social is a terrific way to open the door and get in front of key philanthropists in your community. 
How Porch Parties Fuel Fundraising Success

From Porch to Philanthropy: How Porch Parties Fuel Fundraising Success

At its core, a porch party friendmaking event is a gathering that combines the fun of social interactions with the purpose of cultivating relationships with potential donors.  A good Porch Party can be a masterful blend of warmth,…
Unleash the Power of Parch Parties

Webinar | 3 Ways a Porch Party Can Ignite Interest in Your Cause

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Just imagine: what if you had a new way to increase visibility and make new friends for your cause? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you had an authentic and impactful way to help donors get to know your work, build trust and establish…

How to Get Ready for a Capital Campaign

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What does it take to really be ready for a capital campaign? Often we see board members and leaders chomping at the bit to move quickly. And we hear from some fundraisers that they feel pushed to get going and start asking for lead gifts as…
How to Write an Appeal Letter That Brings in the Money2023

How to Write an Appeal Letter That Brings in the Money

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Appeal letters are the backbone of your annual fundraising campaigns that your nonprofit absolutely relies on.

The CEO’s Speech: “I Have a Dream”

    At many events, your CEO has the opportunity to deliver a short, high-impact message about your organization. This is a chance for the CEO to shine as a visionary and inspirational leader and get everyone excited…
Our Top Takeaways from Icon 20232023

ICON Takeways: Strategies, Trends and Data to Guide Your Fundraising

AFPICON was an amazing experience this year. We were pleased that attendance skyrocketed up to over 3500 attendees. (last year, there were around 2600 or so). So interest in fundraising education is high - there's much to learn and…
Top Capital Campaign Trends

Top Capital Campaign Trends for 2023

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Capital campaigns are everywhere these days. Despite a murky economic outlook, nonprofits large and small are moving forward with big fundraising goals and high dollar campaigns. We’re seeing some interesting new capital campaign trends…

Build a Culture of Philanthropy: Conversations with Doubting Colleagues

By Beth Ann Locke Most fundraisers aim to build a Culture of Philanthropy within their organizations. It's so important - because internal support is an important stepping stone to fundraising success – particularly in major gift…
The Magic of Discovery Calls

The Magic of Discovery Calls

Some fundraisers love them, some fundraisers loathe them.  The truth is, they are a vital part of our work as relationship fundraisers. Today we have a guest post from the Director of the GPG Academy, Beth Ann Locke. Beth Ann…

What is a Major Gift and Why Does It Matter?

We often get questions from nonprofit CEOs, managers, and fundraising professionals alike, “What exactly is a major gift?  Since we specialize in major gift and capital campaign fundraising, we're talking about major gifts all day. …
(Major Gifts #6) What's the Return on Investment from a Major Gift Program?

(Major Gifts #6) What’s the Return on Investment from a Major Gift Program?

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Wish you could have been there. We were up in a New York City office tower, gathered in a big conference room, surrounded by smart, thoughtful board members. It was an exciting moment because we were showing the board how they could dramatically…
Honest Questions to Consider About Your Organization's Fundraising Strategy

Honest Questions to Consider About Your Organization’s Fundraising Strategy

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There are many questions about fundraising strategy that we ask our clients. For example, when we ask people, "What is your funding model?" they are often unsure how to respond. So we try another approach: "What is the fundraising…
The Donor Teared Up. Then He Offered a Campaign Gift, Unasked.

The Donor Teared Up. Then He Offered a Campaign Gift, Unasked.

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Here’s a wonderful Major Gifts Intensive success story from one of our smart participants. Chris Cook, Executive Director of the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, said he really enjoyed practicing his new advanced…
Capital Campaign Pre-Planning Do This Before Hiring a Consulting Firm for Your Feasibility Study (2)

Capital Campaign Pre-Planning: What to do Before Hiring a Consultant

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How important is capital campaign pre-planning? We see many organizations that want to move forward quickly to launch a capital campaign. They are excited about their vision and are ready to dive straight away into a feasibility study. It's…

ARP Brings Public Funding Opportunities Like Never Before

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Today we are highlighting the special public funding opportunity from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP). You may know that the ARP, passed by Congress earlier this year, provides funds to help communities recover from the pandemic. This…