Why sincere is better than clever

In this brilliant blog, Mary Cahalane shares mistakes she made early on in her career and what she learnt from them. Mary closes her blog with this brilliant quote, which I absolutely love…: “Writing to your donors isn’t about you or your organization. Writing to your donors is about your donors. “Give them a problem […]

The Twelve Appeals of the Year

This blog by Mark Phillips from Bullfrog Fundraising Limited was written just before Christmas but holds up just as well as we return to work in 2020 – an excellent time for a little retrospection. What are we proud of? What’s great? What (or who) has been a right pain? And how’s the fundraising profession […]

Three things I look for in pitches

Richard Branson needs no introduction and there is no doubt that he has heard thousands of pitches. What can fundraisers learn from Richard when it comes to us pitching to wealthy individuals? Richard states: “Throughout my career, I have heard thousands of pitches: formal business sit-downs, opportunist moments in elevators, and some very inventive incidents […]

Go Fast? Go Alone. Go Far? Go Together: Tools and Thoughts to Gaining Buy-In for Successful Projects

Getting buy-in is imperative to doing our jobs properly, regardless of the function. Buy-in comes in different shapes and sizes, from donors, but also colleagues, senior leadership and the board. In this blog, Lizzi Hollis looks at some of the techniques you can use for gaining buy-in. https://hub.blackbaud.co.uk/blackbaud-europe/go-fast-go-alone-go-far-go-together-tools-and-thoughts-to-gaining-buy-in-for-successful-projects-by-lizzi-hollis

You are what you think; So just think big

“You are what you think; So just think big, believe big, act big…” the words of Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish American industrialist and philanthropist summarise the essence of successful fundraising – make friends and think big. No one gives to a cause that promises to do the ordinary. People want to feel they are contributing […]

Disrupting the Case for Support

A Case for Support is an oft-used tool in fundraising to set out your stall; its purpose to communicate the ‘Why’ of your campaign. It’s a working document designed as a group/workshop exercise to provoke discussion, tease out the campaign’s identity and find its most compelling elements. It constantly evolves and very, very rarely ever […]

Finding Value in the Middle: An Examination of Mid-Level Giving

In recent years, more attention has been paid to the value of mid-level donors. But many mid-level programs still underperform, with fundraisers uncertain about how to engage with these donors. Lawrence Henze, principal consultant at Blackbaud Target Analytics, has over 38 years of development and marketing experience in the nonprofit sector. In his latest white […]

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

Here’s the challenge – you’ve developed close, friendly, easy connections with your major gift prospects. You’re investing tons of time with these special major donor prospects — visiting with them, listening to their ideas, sharing your work with them. They are getting high-touch, very personalized treatment all the time, and they’re feeling like insiders at […]

13 Ways to Write Better Fundraising Asks

When you’re only six weeks into your new fundraising job and your boss suddenly assigns you the task of writing your organization’s year-end fundraising appeal, due tomorrow, what the heck are you going do? Instead of copying and pasting last year’s letter, how about you carve out some time to create your very own masterpiece? […]

Guide to Annual Giving Donor Segmentation

For most advancement shops, annual giving is the black hole of fundraising: a generic ask to a mass audience. But what if you could deliver a meaningful, personalized experience for all of your donors—without increasing the resources needed or time and energy spent? In this whitepaper, you’ll learn how to segment your constituents to personalize […]