In another thoughtful post by Mary Cahalane, she asks "Would you prefer to read a grant proposal or a novel?" When you’re fundraising, it’s really important to understand the difference between the "why" and "how". Many fundraisers are rightly proud of their organization’s work. And they’re especially proud of what sets their organization apart from … Continue reading The why and how of fundraising
How Jargon Destroys Nonprofit Fundraising & Marketing
Why would you ever use jargon if you wanted to truly communicate with someone? Just check out the definition: “language used by a particular group of people, especially in their work, and which most other people do not understand” — Cambridge dictionary. When you talk to people in words they don’t understand, really, what’s the … Continue reading How Jargon Destroys Nonprofit Fundraising & Marketing
When you’re too big to succeed
Mary Mcahalane's family recently made what was for them a large gift to a national charity. The response was underwhelming, and that’s being kind. An 8.5 x 14 sheet of paper, with the bottom being a tear-off, generic response form. The thank you letter – such as it was – consisted of 4 short paragraphs. … Continue reading When you’re too big to succeed
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Development Content: Five ways to reframe your donor stories
Higher education and nonprofit communications teams tend to turn their noses up at donor profiles. Their reaction isn’t unfounded; college alumni magazine readership surveys, for one, consistently show that donor profiles and gift announcements rank last in interest among types of content in these publications. After working for more than a decade on both sides … Continue reading How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Development Content: Five ways to reframe your donor stories
The big question your donors want you to answer: WHY
Why should I give you money? Why should I care about your work? Why will this matter to someone? Too often, we focus on HOW. We love to talk about how we do the work. All the cool ways we accomplish great things. A new process. A unique way of tackling a problem. All of … Continue reading The big question your donors want you to answer: WHY
Why the things you hate make good appeals
That informal language is undignified... A fundraising appeal is not a business letter. Say it again. Keep saying it until you believe it. An appeal should read like a letter from a dear friend. Or better yet, like a phone call from that friend, transcribed. So yes, there will be contractions, because people use contractions … Continue reading Why the things you hate make good appeals
The Science Behind What Motivates People To Donate To Nonprofits
There is no algorithm for human behaviour. To truly understand your donors, you need to take a cue from science and their findings. First, the good news: Charitable giving to nonprofits is contagious and elevating. Most people assume that generosity involves sacrifice: We are giving something up so someone else can have more. But this … Continue reading The Science Behind What Motivates People To Donate To Nonprofits
Happy New Year – the Top 12 blogs of 2021 – part 2
Let's hope 2022 brings us much joy and enables us to spread more kindness around the world. Together, we can create positive impact for those we are aiming to help. Before we look ahead to the New Year, here is part 2 of the 12 most popular blogs on propper-fundraising.com from 2021. 6. The 4 … Continue reading Happy New Year – the Top 12 blogs of 2021 – part 2
Happy Christmas – the Top 12 blogs of 2021 – part 1
As we approach Christmas 2021, I wanted to thank all subscribers, followers and readers of this website and I wish you all a lovely time, whatever circumstances you find yourself in. In 2021, Propper-Fundraising.com received over 5,300 visitors and for the second year running, the site saw the number of page views increase by 28%. … Continue reading Happy Christmas – the Top 12 blogs of 2021 – part 1
#GivingTuesday tweets that got noticed vs those that didn’t
Go on Twitter and search up the #GivingTuesday hashtag and you’ll find a never-ending torrent of tweets by non-profits trying to get the attention of digital passersby. Given how jam-packed the market is, and how short peoples’ attention spans are on Twitter, if there’s anything a non-profit can do to get even ONE like, or … Continue reading #GivingTuesday tweets that got noticed vs those that didn’t
Propper Fundraising 