I once chaired a capital campaign that lasted seven years. That’s seven years of planning, designing, strategizing, and adapting. We completely rebuilt our facility in two phases, which required many, many conversations with architects, designers, and contractors. Seven years of fundraising equals a LOT of asks. In fact, some … [Read more...]
Not all money is created equal
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...]
More money together: Shared fundraising strategies
In my work as a fundraising consultant and trainer, I'm faced with two persistent myths: Scarcity: There’s not enough resources to go around, which leads to... Competition among groups to gather those scarce resources. To address these myths, let’s begin with a few numbers. Nonprofits across the U.S. receive more than $1.5 … [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...]
Treasurer confidential
About a year ago, I became the treasurer of a well-established but tiny nonprofit. With an annual budget of less than $100,000 and limited staff, our organization is as grassroots and community-based as it gets. I’ve served on several boards. I train boards for a living. I write books about how to be an effective board member, … [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...]
The big (bad) shift in fundraising
A year ago, I wrote The Big Shift in Fundraising, an upbeat post about changing trends in giving. To sum it up: After decades of gradual “wealthification” of U.S. philanthropy – a greater percentage of the philanthropic pie contributed by wealthy and uber-wealthy donors – donors flipped the script in 2016. Most of the growth in giving … [Read more...]
The three most powerful words in fundraising
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...]