Once upon a time, there was an executive director with great fundraising skills. He cultivated grantmakers and individual donors with care – meeting often, honoring deadlines, keeping them updated on his nonprofit’s success. He explored mutual needs and interests, then crafted his requests accordingly. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t … [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...]
When Recruiting Board Members, Look for a Willingness to Learn
Note: This is a guest post from our colleague Kim Klein, a terrific author, fundraising trainer, and mentor to many, many grassroots fundraisers. Thanks Kim! Early in my consulting practice, I had the opportunity to work with the boards of three very different organizations. A well-established theater company A welfare rights … [Read more...]