Do You Have A Donor Love Meter?
Author:
Chuck Longfield
Summary:
Learn why donor passion is vitally important for nonprofit success through two videos featuring Blackbaud's chief scientist, Chuck Longfield.
Three Ways to Define Your Target Audience
Author:
Kivi Leroux Miller
Summary:
Consider three ways to define your target audience so you can start focusing on the people who matter most to your mission.
10 Interview Tips That Lead to Better Storytelling
Author:
Kivi Leroux Miller
Summary:
Telling stories about the work you do and the people you serve is a great way to educate and inspire your supporters about your cause. Use these ten tips to get good quotes and ensure your facts are straight.
What's Wrong With Charitable Giving and How to Fix It
Author:
The Wall Street Journal
Summary:
What can foundations do to make a difference for the nonprofits they are designed to help? Consider nine changes that could go a long way toward making philanthropy do what it's intended to do.
When Should You Hire a Director Of Development?
Author:
By Derrick Feldmann and Dave Sternberg
Summary:
Presents key questions to consider, besides funding, when contemplating hiring a Director of Development.
Homer Simpson for Nonprofits
Author:
Katya Andresen, Network for Good
Summary:
The success of your online outreach hinges on your understanding of the inner workings of the human mind. Use the field of behavioral economics to craft more effective messages that will win the hearts and minds of your audience.
Choosing a Grantwriter
Author:
Terrie Temkin
Summary:
Some people in the nonprofit sector believe hiring a grantwriter based on a contingency fee is a smart move. However, there are several reasons why the seemingly smart move may be the wrong one.
Recession Should Spur Smarter Grantmaking
Author:
Todd Cohen
Summary:
Despite the stress it has placed on the giving sector, the recession should be fueling greater innovation and collaboration in the charitable marketplace and making nonprofits stronger.
Finding & Hiring Grantwriters, Part 2
Author:
Jan Masaoka
Summary:
In a continuation of the previous article on finding and hiring grantwriters, this report details how to find grantwriters, select them, how much to pay them and what kinds of payment arrangements to choose.
Finding & Hiring Grantwriters, Part 1
Author:
Jan Masaoka
Summary:
Most nonprofits are aware of the value of working with a capable grantwriter, but find it difficult to actually establish a working relationship with an effective one. This article discusses the cause of the scarcity of this value resource.
Potential 111 Million Online Donors This Holiday Season
Author:
Michele Donohue
Summary:
According to research, more than 111 million people plan to use the Web to give to nonprofits this holiday season. This represents $4 billion in donations to be made online. Read this article to learn about this change in donation trends.
Top 10 Year-End Fundraising Strategies
Author:
Gail Perry
Summary:
The fundraising outlook for year-end is looking more positive; donors who were reluctant to give earlier this year seem to be feeling more generous right now. Here are ten simple strategies that will help you exceed your year-end goals.
Understanding Donors' Motivations
Author:
The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University
Summary:
The intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for charitable giving can vary from donor to donor. Nevertheless, understanding donor motivations can lead to fundraising strategies that more effectively target and retain donors. To this end, this article explores donors' self-reported motivations for giving, looking particularly at variations by region of the country, levels of household income and donors' educational level.
Sweeps Week: Giving Donors a Chance at Prizes to Win Their Support
Author:
Michele Donohue
Summary:
Regardless of the stigma against sweepstakes and raffles in the nonprofit fundraising sector, these initiatives can attract new donors, increase donations among house file names and raise average gifts. Read about regulations, strategies and success stories.
Gift Horse or Trojan Horse? A Thorough Physical is Critical
Author:
Clara Miller
Summary:
In the nonprofit economy, gifts are a significant, influential form of currency. A shared set of rules of "gift physics" that predict some of the intended and unintended effects of large gifts can help guide both sides. Read on to find out how to analyze the impact of specific types of gifts on your organization.
Becoming a Venture Philanthropist
Author:
Michael Moody
Summary:
Read a new study that details how encouraging intense and engaging volunteer opportunities for donors can increase the value of some contributors' donations and boost their involvement.
Corporate and Foundation Giving 2009
Author:
Philanthropy Journal
Summary:
A special report that looks at corporate and foundation giving, and how it is responding to the recession.
Where Are The Donors?
Author:
The NonProfit Times
Summary:
A few national studies show that giving declined over the past two years, but not all charities are losing donors. The NonProfit Times convened some industry thought leaders to discuss how to maintain your donor base during challenging economic times.
The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle
Author:
Ann Goggins Gregory & Don Howard
Summary:
Unrealistic expectations regarding the cost of running a nonprofit often ends up forcing organizations to skimp on vital systems. To break the nonprofit starvation cycle, the authors propose that funders must take the lead.
Federal Money Is Redirected: White House Scraps and Replaces Bush's Compassion Fund
Author:
Mark Hrywna, The Nonprofit Times
Summary:
Scrapping the $50-million Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) because the "range of recipients was too narrowly defined," the Obama administration has launched the Strengthening Communities Fund (SCF). The SCF will fund capacity-building efforts through nonprofits, as well as state, local and tribal governments that are responsible for outreach to faith-based and community organizations.
How I Raised $1,000 on Facebook Without Breaking a Sweat
Author:
Nelson Layag, Blue Avocado
Summary:
A first-person perspective on raising money using Facebook that both tempers expectations and demystifies the process.
A Call to Action
Author:
Rick Cohen
Summary:
Learn about organizing to increase the effectiveness and impact of foundation grantmaking.
The Other 95 Percent
Author:
Alesssandra Bianchi
Summary:
This article describes the efforts of a Boston community foundation to effect the public companies in which they invest. Using proxy votes they are swinging the decisions of these public comapanies in the interest of the community and its nonprofits.
Government Funding: Use it Well
Author:
Jeanne Peters
Summary:
This article argues that contrary to popular belief, government funding of nonprofit organizations does not necessarily undermine the organizations’ mission or autonomy. These negative effects can be avoided by following six steps.
The Price of Commercial Success
Author:
James A. Phills & Victoria Chang
Summary:
This article addresses social purposes capitalism using Garrison Keilor's "A Prairie Home Companion" and its Public Radio station as an example. It explores the Rivertown catalog that once simply provided funding, but now has become a for-profit offshoot that still provides funding. This article provides a lot of insight into the sticky middle between fundraising and for-profit with npos.
Untapped Donors
Author:
Leslie Berger
Summary:
This article flushes out a study conducted to find untapped donors. It highlights the giving potential of volunteers, women, and the African American community.
Rethinking Corporate Philanthropy
Author:
Alessandra Bianchi
Summary:
This article explains corporate strategic philanthropy. Bianchi intends to help readers understand this strategy so they can use it to their advantage. The author does an excellent job of outlining the strategy, but does not follow through on advic
Giving Donors Control
Author:
Dan Gordon
Summary:
This article describes the fundraising effort of a United Way chapter. By getting corporate backing for administrative costs they saw a rise in individual donors excited about giving directly to the clients. The downside to the system is its reinfo
On-line Fundraising Best Practices: Two Words of Advice
Author:
Firstgiving
Summary:
Does on-line fundraising work? There is strong evidence that on-line fundraising is helping organizations raise significantly more money at lower costs than traditional off-line methods
6 Keys to the Rules of Special Events Engagement
Author:
Marla Nobles
Summary:
A distillation of a speech from the 2006 Cause Marketing Forum in NYC, this article lists 6 ways to plan and implement better fundraising events.
How do I figure out how much someone can give to my organization?
Author:
Kim Klein
Summary:
Describes basics of prospect research and focuses on a specific form of research entitled LAI.
Open-source fundraising solutions
Author:
Techsoup
Summary:
Fundraising software, such as donor databases and CRM packages, makes it easy for your staff to access fundraising and donor information directly from a Web browser or a desktop application. A quick overview of some open-source FREE fundraising solutions.
Writing Knockout Proposals
Author:
Joseph Barbato
Summary:
Few people can write a "knockout" proposal, a document of such force it catapults the funder down the hall. To help you enhance your own proposals, here are three tips.
How do you ask for a "major" gift?
Author:
CompassPoint
Summary:
For most people, asking for money is one of the most difficult tasks they will ever face. Get help here.
10 Tips to a More Succesful Ask
Author:
GuideStar
Summary:
If you didn't get the gift—and in some instances you won't—there are usually ten "horrid reasons." There may be more, but these are the primary ones. Read on to find out how to improve!
E-Philanthropy Strategy for Nonprofits
Author:
BlackBaud
Summary:
The Internet is critical for your organization to successfully establish a competitive advantage over other nonprofits. Planning and implementing an e-philanthropy strategy will enable your organization to better serve current donors and cost-effectively reach new potential donors. When you add a secure donation page to your Web site, you can leverage the power of the Internet to...
Finding Your Inner Fundraiser: A Self-Assessment Tool
Author:
Stephanie Roth and Kim Klein
Summary:
This tool can help your fundraising team realize that they have skills and experience that can make them into successful fundraisers.
Hiring a Fundraising Consultant
Author:
Kim Klein
Summary:
T here are times in the life of almost every group when a fundraising consultant can be helpful. Kim Klein clearly itemizes such times, describes the tasks that are, and are not, appropriate. Having determined your organizational need, Ms. Klein then gives advice on choosing and paying the consultant.
Fundraising's Four Magic Questions: Answer These and the Gift Is Yours
Author:
Jerald Panas
Summary:
Getting a negative response to an ask may seem like the end of the road for a potential donor, however it doesn't have to be. A negative response can be used as a jumping off point for further conversation. This article uses an anecdote to describe the process of turning a "no" into a "yes".
Choosing the Right Event
Author:
Betty Stallings and Donna McMillion
Summary:
Planning fundraising events can use up a lot of an organization's resources, both in terms of time and money. It's best to think about the appropriateness of an event and how effective you think if might be.
Listen, Learn, Lead: Grantmaker Practices that Support Nonprofit Results
Author:
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
Summary:
Nonprofits rely on grantmakers to fund their efforts to benefit the community. Grantmakers are often concerned about the efficiency and effectiveness of nonprofits, but this is often related to grantmakers themselves. This paper reveals the ways in which grantmakers can help make nonprofits more effective so that their funding can be better used.
Rating and Evaluating Prospects: Whom Do You Ask For How Much
Author:
Tony Poderis
Summary:
Any person or organization that is being approached for an ask needs to be researched. Read about how to evaluate prospects and how to make an efficient ask.
The 20 Biggest Fundraising Mistakes, Part II
Author:
David Lansdowne
Summary:
There are infinite what-ifs to be asked about why your last campaign fell short or expectations. Lansdowne has narrowed it down to the 20 most likely mistakes. Part I contains the first ten on the list.
The 20 Biggest Fundraising Mistakes, Part I
Author:
David Lansdowne
Summary:
There are infinite what-ifs to be asked about why your last campaign fell short or expectations. Lansdowne has narrowed it down to the 20 most likely mistakes. Part I contains the first ten on the list.
My Network, My Cause
Author:
Alan Krauss
Summary:
Everyone has heard about the explosion of online networks and communities. So far these tools have been used most successfully at getting the word out as opposed to fundraising. Learn about what others have done so far and what they're looking at doing to take better advantage of these new opportunities.
Survey Reveals Opportunity for Charities to Optimize Gifts through Increased Online Initiatives
Author:
American Express
Summary:
American Express conducted a Charitable Gift Survey which included many questions related to online giving trends. This press release highlights the results, including that many donors would be open to online fundraising if they knew it was an option, and there is a link available if you'd like to read the full results report.
CobWebs: 10 criteria for online fundraising
Author:
Herschell Gordon Lewis
Summary:
Online fundraising is a bit like uncharted territory for many veteran fundraisers. It's possible, though, that questions of effectiveness result from how we approach online mediums and not from the mediums themselves. These ten tips can help you make online fundraising a more effective tool for your organization.
Misconceptions about Writing Fundraising Letters
Author:
Stephen Hitchcock
Summary:
Writing fundraising letters often seems challenging, but the trick is to write and allow your natural voice to come through. learn how to take your writing and turn it back into a conversation piece.
On-line Monthly Giving
Author:
Marie Ewald and Karen Matheson
Summary:
Monthly giving (also known as a recurring donors or sustainers program) has come a long way from the early days of child sponsorship. Now a centerpiece of many direct-marketing programs, monthly giving provides a reliable, low-cost stream of revenue that sustains ongoing programs. It also increases the annual value (and loyalty!) of low-dollar donors. Now that it is possible to handle both sign-ups and payments on-line, one-time donors are becoming recurring donors at a faster pace, boosting retention rates and helping organizations cut down on billing costs.We surveyed nearly 70 organizations and analyzed the on-line donor data of 8 large nonprofits to get some answers to a number of questions.
In Search of Sustainable Funding: Is Diversity of Sources Really the Answer?
Author:
William Foster, Ben Dixon, and Matt Hochstetler
Summary:
Funding is a constant and pressing concern for nonprofit organizations across the United States. This article, based on research done by the Bridgespan Group, explores funding patterns among large, financially sustainable nonprofits across several domains and among organization of various sizes engaged in youth services and environmental advocacy. Learn what the evidence shows regarding funding diversity and sustainability.
How the Right Marketing Strategies Can Enhance Your Planned Giving Program
Author:
Lawrence Henze
Summary:
Many organizations, particularly small to medium-sized nonprofits, have the potential to raise as much or even more money through planned giving as through major giving. The absence of a planned giving program — or perhaps more importantly, a comprehensive ultimate giving operation — places extraordinary emphasis on current cash support to the detriment of deferred money. Only the right marketing strategy can promote the growth of planned giving and facilitate an integrated ultimate giving effort, allowing your organization to be truly donor-centric while you boost fundraising results.
Revising Inquiries and Proposals: A Language - Based Approach
Author:
Kevin Peters
Summary:
Have you or your organization had a proposal rejected, even though it was based on a truly great idea? Often, the problem may not be with the idea itself, but with the way it is presented to the funder. Learn how to write more effective letters of inquiry or proposals by focusing not on what you are saying, but on how you are saying it.
What Makes People Give?
Author:
David Leonhardt
Summary:
Fundraising strategies have rarely been looked at empirically. Read about several different studies of fundraising practices and learn the implications for your own fundraising.
A Year in the Life of a Fundraiser: Year - Round Fundraising for Everybody
Author:
Lauel Ackerman
Summary:
You have a successful annual event, but what about those who are unable to attend? Consider incorporating smaller, more frequent events to round out your fundraising calendar.
Marketing & Communications: The Cornerstones of Successful Fundraising
Author:
Ed Lewis, MPA, CFRE
Summary:
It is extremely important for Nonprofit Organizations to understand the principles of marketing and communications and how they can dramatically improve their fundraising efforts.
Corporate Giving 2008 - Philanthropy Journal Special Report
Author:
Philanthropy Journal
Summary:
In this special report, PJ looks at trends in corporate giving, and nonprofit strategies for partnering with corporations, in the face of the economic downturn.
Past Economic Downturns and the Outlook for Foundation Giving
Author:
Steven Lawrence
Summary:
To address growing concerns about the impact of the current economic downturn on foundation giving and the nonprofit sector, the Foundation Center can provide historical context through an examination of foundation giving trends in prior recessionary periods and times of economic distress. Drawing upon existing data and research, Steven Lawrence offers perspectives on the future outlook in light of current conditions and explains factors that affect foundation giving when economic conditions are turbulent.
Five Tactics to Rev Up Fundraising in a Down Economy
Author:
Randy McCabe
Summary:
The economy, while showing hopeful signs such as slightly lower oil prices and a stronger dollar, is still not in a good place. That means donors have less money in their portfolios and their pockets. Here are some ideas for increasing your fundraising.
University of Texas at Arlington Office of Grant and Contract Services
Author:
University of Texas at Arlington Office of Grant and Contract Services
Summary:
Step by step primer for writing good grants that includes: proposal development tips, general writing tips, merit review criteria and reviewers comments, model proposals & sample proposal sections, links to writing guides, and links to agency guides and funding trends.
And Now for Something Different About Nonprofits and the Economy 1/1/09
Author:
Jan Masaoka for Blueavocado.org
Summary:
As is too often the case, the advice from the “philanthropic-consultant industrial complex” is unsatisfying. Here are four ideas that are thinking out of the box strategies for your nonprofit that you probably haven’t heard before.
ROI in Digital Fundraising and Online Giving
Author:
Philip King for Fund Raising Success
Summary:
When it comes to return on investment for a nonprofit's online fundraising and donations program there is no hard and fast digital metric that serves as the gold standard … yet. While some fundraisers have struck gold — generating 10 times their online investment in as little as three months, others just break even after three years of hard work. This article explores the possibilities and challenges posed by online fundraising.
The Economic Stimulus: The first reports in a series by the National Council of Nonprofits:
Author:
National Council of Nonprofits
Summary:
To promote better understanding about the intersection between the nonprofit sector and our nation's economic recovery, including the recently-enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ("Act"), the National Council of Nonprofits is preparing a series of Special Reports with the first in the series released here. These three reports give an outline of where the stimulus dollars are headed.
Ten Nonprofit Funding Models
Author:
Stanford Social Innovation Review
Summary:
In the current economic climate it is tempting for nonprofit leaders to seek money wherever they can find it, causing some nonprofits to veer off course. That would be a mistake. During tough times it is more important than ever for nonprofit leaders to examine their funding strategy closely and to be disciplined about the way that they raise money. We hope that this article provides a framework for nonprofit leaders to do just that.
Raise Big Money from Thousands of Your Closest Friends: Engaging Major Donors Online
Author:
Mikaela King, Director of Online Marketing and Nancy Withbroe, CFRE, Manager of Consulting Services
Summary:
Best practices from major-gifts and direct response fundraising can be combined to attract and cultivate larger gifts to nonprofit organizations through the Internet by making relatively wealthy people feel as if they were being approached individually. After discussing the art and science of determining whether or not someone is worth pursuing for a major gift and typical characteristics of donors who give larger gifts, this paper suggests ways to approach major donors and high-dollar donors online.
Fundraising in Tough Times
Author:
Mal Warwick
Summary:
The economy is in bad shape and will potentially only get worse. What can fundraisers do to minimize the impact of this difficult period for nonprofit organizations, and at the same time maximize income?
How to Build a Successful Fundraising Team
Author:
Cynthia M. Adams
Summary:
Continually struggling with fundraising or feeling overwhelmed with the amount of fundraising work that needs to be done? Learn about building a winning fundraising team in this multipart article series.
Accelerating Change for Women and Girls: The Role of Women's Funds
Author:
Foundation Center
Summary:
In recent years, interest in philanthropy for and by women has intensified, accompanied by a growing acceptance of the idea that philanthropic investments in women and girls can accelerate positive change in communities. To understand this evolution in thinking and practice within philanthropy, the Foundation Center partnered with the Women's Funding Network, a global movement of women's funds, to chart the current landscape of philanthropy focused on women and girls and document the specific role played by women's funds.
To Screen or Not to Screen, When is the Question
Author:
Lawrence Henze, Target Analytics
Summary:
Many nonprofit professionals wonder if their organizations should perform prospect screening during fundraising. The truth is, in a perfect world, nonprofits would be performing ongoing screening, since it's a necessity for promoting greater fundraising success. But because this isn't a perfect world, the best plan of attack is to perform prospect screening only when it would be most beneficial and effective. But how do you determine that? It is a simple question: When is the best time for your organization to conduct a prospect screening project?