What’s the best mix of income for your nonprofit? How can you build sustainable revenue streams that make you resilient and self-sufficient? You’ve got lots of options – that’s the good news – but not every option is relevant to every organization. Consider the following facts and principles. Where money comes from Broadly … [Read more...]
Dream big, raise more money
Once upon I time, when I worked as a development director, I would gather the program staff annually to ask the “what if” questions: What if we had all the money we needed? What if we could do the work we wanted to do without worrying about the budget – what would we do? What if we had the capacity to try new things and do our … [Read more...]
When the donor says yes, what do you say next?
Note: This post was co-written by my friend and colleague Harvey McKinnon. Thanks Harvey! It was also re-imagined as an exercise for the book, Train Your Board (and Everyone Else) to Raise Money. As a fundraiser, you’re probably focusing on “the ask”: how to frame your request in the most compelling, inspiring way. Without a doubt, a … [Read more...]
Ask for the gift – then be quiet
Do you need to raise more money? For most nonprofits, the most efficient fundraising strategy involves seeking major gifts from individual donors. Don’t be intimidated by the phrase “major gifts.” As we discussed in a recent post, you decide what “major” means. For grassroots groups, that could be $500 per year or $40 per month. … [Read more...]
What are “major gifts” – and where do I find them?
When talking with potential clients, I often ask the following questions: "What do you consider a major gift? How many donors contribute at that level?" The phrase "major gift" perplexes some people. If needed, I might rephrase as follows: What do you consider a big gift from an individual donor? If you skimmed off the top 10% … [Read more...]
What’s your budget? (What, you don’t know?)
When interviewing potential clients, I always ask a basic question early in the conversation: “What’s your annual budget?” Sometimes I’m talking with staff, or it might be a board member or a volunteer. More often than not, there’s a long pause. I wait a moment, then ask again. “Last year, how much money did you raise 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...]
Year-End Fundraising: Give People What They Want
President Harry Truman once famously said, “The secret of raising children is to find out what they want to do and then encourage them to do it. “ I think that’s great advice – and so did my kids! Note to self (and to you, too): Apply the same advice in your outreach to donors. Year-end fundraising: Beyond the tried-and-true As … [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...]
Thank Your Donors Better, Keep Them Longer
Because it’s December, here’s the best-case scenario – your year-end fundraising program is in full gear and the gifts are rolling in. You’ve invested lots of time writing, designing, and sending letters and email appeals. Perhaps you recruited board members and other volunteers to write notes on all those fundraising letters, which … [Read more...]