What gets in the way of you and your board raising more money? For a fundraising trainer like me, this is a key question. Any sort of fundraising education must address the barriers that make it difficult for people to participate. This list of common barriers won’t surprise you. Perhaps you’ve experienced them yourself. … [Read more...]
Seven steps to successful event sponsorships
Today's guest post is from Joanna Hogan, the Strategic Fundraising Coach. She adds, “If you get stuck along the way, feel free to reach out to me.” Thanks, Joanna! For any conference or event planner, one of the big challenges is securing funding. Like it or not, your success with sponsorships will determine whether your conference or … [Read more...]
How to Raise Money After a Natural Disaster
In December, the Thomas Fire burned 440 square miles of Southern California, making it the largest wildfire in state history. It destroyed more than one thousand structures: homes, businesses, schools, and several nonprofit facilities. A subsequent landslide – the technical term is “debris flow” – added to the destruction and … [Read more...]
The New Tax Law: How It Affects Nonprofits and Fundraising
Note: This guest post is adapted from a recent article by Kim Klein, one of the nonprofit community's most clear-eyed thought leaders (and a terrific fundraising trainer). Having heard many concerns about the new tax law, I found Kim’s perspective to be helpful. Regardless of your political views -- I generally agree with Kim; perhaps you … [Read more...]
Fundraising Therapy, Part 2 – It’s Not About You
If you’re a fundraiser, it’s often helpful to think like a donor. When leading workshops, I encourage people to flip this mental switch. “How many of you have ever given away money to anybody for any reason at all?” Of course, all the hands go up. Then I ask people to pair off and talk about why they give. These small groups … [Read more...]
Fundraising Therapy, Part 1 – Getting Over the Fear of Fundraising
Are you afraid of fundraising? How about your board – when it’s time to raise money, do they run away? As a fundraising trainer and consultant, this is my biggest challenge: many people are frightened of fundraising. If you ignore or avoid this “fear factor” – especially during your year-end fundraising push – you’ll miss … [Read more...]
Graphic Facilitation 101: Telling Your Story Visually
For years, I’ve been fascinated by the work of graphic facilitators, thanks in large part to my friend Julie Stuart at Making Ideas Visible. If you can imagine capturing a meeting or planning session in a series of images – and using what you’ve captured to advance the conversation – you'll begin to understand the power of this … [Read more...]
Want a grant? Pick up the phone
Here at Train Your Board, we tend to focus on donor fundraising because: Most philanthropic dollars are given by individual donors, not foundations There are fewer opportunities for your board members to help with grants However, grants are part of a diversified fundraising strategy, and the skills you learn – research, asking … [Read more...]
The Big Ask: Training Your Board to Pitch in Public
Note: This guest post is from our colleague Crystal Middlestadt at the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training. GIFT publishes the Grassroots Fundraising Journal (one of our favorite publications) and organizes Money for Our Movements, North America’s largest gathering of social justice fundraisers. Thanks, … [Read more...]
Ask Now! Two Exercises to Get You Out of the Office and Talking With Donors
The month of December can make or break your entire fundraising year. And, as I am sure you know, the most effective way to raise money is ask for it in person. Combining these two facts yields a pretty basic, straightforward question: How many donor meetings have you scheduled this month? Not enough, right? Sorry, no … [Read more...]