At some level, every fundraiser knows that alumni engagement is an important driver of alumni giving. At the same time, the advancement profession seems perpetually perplexed by how to measure engagement and apply those measures to increase philanthropy. Why is that? Generally speaking, advancement offices have access to a pretty accurate picture of who alumni … Continue reading Alumni Engagement: What We’ve Gotten Wrong And How To Fix It
7 simple steps to qualify your donors
Unsuccessful fundraisers don’t understand qualification. They don’t recognize its power. They wait for the next wealth screened list. They fiddle with it in Excel or in some other database. They make a few calls. They don’t get any appointments. They give up. Then they say the list was no good. Unsuccessful fundraisers don’t use the … Continue reading 7 simple steps to qualify your donors
Creating a DIY wealth spreadsheet
Wealth advisors need to understand wealth trends in relation to their client’s investment strategies. Their companies have the necessary resources to provide that insight for them in the form of studies and surveys. Surveys dealing with wealth allocation are particularly useful for estimating wealth. In this blog, Kenny Tavares has come up with a list … Continue reading Creating a DIY wealth spreadsheet
Wealthy Britons don’t match the generosity of Americans – here’s why
What's it like to give away a billion dollars? One of the few people who know is Stephen Schwarzman, co-founder, chairman and chief executive of Blackstone, one of the world's biggest private equity firms. He has given away more than that already, mainly to causes related to education, culture and the arts, but - with … Continue reading Wealthy Britons don’t match the generosity of Americans – here’s why
Asking on the first meeting: good practice, or scandalously impolite?
Shaun Horan starts this thought piece with: "Nothing splits a room like asking this question: should you ask for a gift from a prospective donor on the first meeting?" So, what are his reasons? Click below to find out. https://halpinpartnership.com/debate/asking-first-meeting-good-practice-or-scandalously-impolite
Fake News, Research, and Fundraising
Propsect researchers should already be adept at verifying their sources but is that good enough to spot fake news? In this blog, Jennifer Filla shares her method (including a Venn diagram). https://www.jenniferfilla.com/fake-news-research-and-fundraising/
Five Identifiers of a High Quality Fundraising Prospect
Discovering your best fundraising prospects does not boil down to a single piece of criteria. There are several qualities that can help identify the potential donors who can give the major gifts that will lead to your organization’s success. Here, Kim Becker Cooper - Marketing Director at DonorSearch, shares her five key identifiers. http://twbfundraising.com/blog/five-identifiers-high-quality-fundraising-prospect/
Don’t fear the Rich List
How to deal with rich people? John Baguley writes in this blog: "I have worked on many highly successful capital appeals and a few that didn’t quite reach their target. Time and again that failure was due to the inability of the team to engage with wealthy people as human beings and not as representatives … Continue reading Don’t fear the Rich List
How to Build a Major Donor Program from the Ground Up
Most organizations have plenty of donor prospects, without having to go outside and look for prospects who aren’t connected to you.Claire from Clairification Fundraising Coach suggests you don’t start with the most out-of-reach prospects. You can be a major donor prospect rainmaker without having to go outside or reach too far.Even small current donors may … Continue reading How to Build a Major Donor Program from the Ground Up
Long Read: Good asking
The Institute of Fundraising (IoF) recently launched Good Asking – a report on why charities research and process supporter information. They worked with leading academic Dr Beth Breeze from the University of Kent, to survey over 300 fundraisers to understand why they process and research information about their supporters, and what the benefits are for … Continue reading Long Read: Good asking
Propper Fundraising 