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 … Continue reading Finding Value in the Middle: An Examination of Mid-Level Giving
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 … Continue reading Should You Include Major Donor Prospects in Your Year-End Appeal?
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? … Continue reading 13 Ways to Write Better Fundraising Asks
How to respond when they challenge your fundraising appeal
Does your appeal letter really need to be two pages long? What about that serif font? Sentence fragments? Mary Cahalane answers common questions about writing successful appeal letters. https://mcahalane.com/how-to-respond-when-they-challenge-your-fundraising-appeal/
Where brand and fundraising meet. The case for a case for support.
Fundraising is focussed on the bottom line. Hard, tangible cash. Facts and figures. Brand is about perception. The heart and mind of the audience. Intangible feelings. OK, so I’m being purposefully black and white. But everyone of my friends in the sector feels that brand and fundraising teams need to work better together. And with … Continue reading Where brand and fundraising meet. The case for a case for support.
4 Steps to Strategic Communications
Picture this: a wealthy donor opens up the daily newspaper at her kitchen table and sees a heart-warming story about a school-age child benefiting from your nonprofit’s services. On her drive to work, she hears your executive director interviewed on morning news radio. Before an afternoon meeting, the same donor scans her Instagram and Facebook … Continue reading 4 Steps to Strategic Communications
6 Ways to Beat Writer’s Block
The formula for getting work done is simple: Show up and sit there. Think. Stare out the window. Write. There’s no muse, no need for a perfect storm of artistic conditions to come together before you can rack up the pages. You just do the work. The work gets done. But simple formulas don’t always … Continue reading 6 Ways to Beat Writer’s Block
Alumni Engagement: What We’ve Gotten Wrong And How To Fix It
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
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
Propper Fundraising 