10 Steps to Create a Fundraising Appeal Letter That Brings in the Money

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Can you write a compelling fundraising appeal letter? It's one of the most basic skills for every fundraising professional. A fundraising appeal letter is both art and science. It seems that everyone struggles with appeal letters. Everyone…

Donor Renewals: The Easiest Gifts to Close for Your Year-End Campaign

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Donor renewals offer the quickest, easiest gifts for your year-end campaign. Here's how to keep your current donors from slipping away.

Don’t Forget to Approach Your Major Donors for Year-End Gifts

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We all know that year-end is the most productive time of the year for fundraising. So let's take advantage of the generosity this season and make sure you bring in the year-end gifts to meet your fundraising goal. With only a few days…

Donors are Stepping Up! Giving Was Up 7.5% in the First Half of This Year

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Remember April, when we were all clenching our teeth and thinking “Oh wow, this is not the year for fundraising. How will we get through it?”  Well, it turns out recent data proves that 2020 is actually a great year for fundraising. So…
5 Ways Board Members Can Boost Your Virtual Year-End Campaign

5 Ways Board Members Can Boost Your Virtual Year-End Campaign

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This year, your year-end fundraising campaign may look a little different. With social distancing still the norm for many people, you'll be using digital tools and direct mail, with no personal visits or gatherings. You need your board…

3 Quick Year-End Tips to Close Out the Year Over Goal!

The last week of the calendar year is upon us. Your office may be closing down for the holidays. And you are ready to plan a nice restful vacation! However, there's still work to be done. I'll bet that your donors are feeling very generous. So,…

#1 Strategy to Finish Your Fiscal Year-End Over Goal

It's that time of year - we are all focused on making our goals for the fiscal year-end. June 30th is just around the corner, and all of our numbers will be totaled up. Here's how to make sure that you'll be zooming over goal this…

Three Quick Ways to Snag Last Minute Online Gifts

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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. AND remember . . . more and more people will be making their gifts…

Fundraising Do’s and Don’ts for December

  December is a wildly busy month for many fundraisers. Year-end fundraising is closing out, and we are all stampeding towards our goals. With things being so busy, where should you focus? To help you, here are my top Fundraising…

Should You Include Major Donor Prospects in Your Year-End Appeal?

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  I get so many questions about how to handle major donor prospects at year end. Here's the challenge - you've developed close, friendly, easy connections with your major gift prospects. You're investing tons of time with these…

Don’t Make These 5 Mistakes In Your Fundraising Appeal Letter

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  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…

What are the 3 Most Boring Words in Fundraising Appeals?

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What fun! Today I'm ranting a bit about what goes WRONG with so many fundraising appeals. I’m sharing my thoughts on the most overused, most boring and least useful words ever to be used in fundraising appeals. And I want to know YOURS! What…

5 Things Smart Fundraisers Always Do in December

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December is a wildly busy month for many fundraisers. Year-end fundraising is closing out, and we are all stampeding towards our goals. With things being so busy, where should you focus? To help you, here are 5 things smart fundraisers…

Upgrading Year-End Donors to a Higher Gift Level

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Upgrading year-end donors can be a challenge - and an opportunity. What to do with your very important major and mid-level donors during your year-end campaign? Today we have a guest post from the very smart Rachel Muir, CFRE - sharing…

Upgrade Your Fundraising by Using the Phone

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Did you know that phone fundraising really works? Using the phone WILL boost your fundraising! I am in love with a very, very old technology. One that is so very "last century." The phone is something many fundraisers avoid. "It's intrusive,"…

Simple Ways to Nail Email Fundraising Appeals

Email fundraising appeals are sometimes hard to get right. They are inexpensive, and easy. But do your donors really read your email appeals?  Do they even open them up? How do you create compelling email fundraising appeals that…