In my work as a fundraising consultant, I’ve noticed how clients tend to begin the conversation by asking about tactics and details. Typical questions: Who should sign our fundraising letters? (Board chair, executive director, development director…?) How often can we solicit our donors without annoying them? When we ask our … [Read more...]
Three tips for improving your virtual board meetings
Note: This guest post is from consultant Alyson Molloy Hussey. Thanks, Alyson! 2020 was a challenging year for many organizations. Faced with a totally different environment, nonprofit leaders were forced to pivot, adapt, and get creative. How about you? What was your biggest adaptation over the last year? Some of these … [Read more...]
Want more major gifts? Share your impact
Note: This guest post from Megan Amundson describes the case for more consistent donor communications that emphasize the donor’s impact. For a different (and useful) perspective, check out Community-Centric Fundraising and Nonprofit AF. When I talk with leaders of small nonprofits, they ask me how to build a major donor … [Read more...]
Using Asking Styles to train your board
Note: This guest post is from Brian Saber of Asking Matters. It’s adapted from his new book, Boards and Asking Styles: A Roadmap to Success. Thanks, Brian! For most nonprofits, board training is a challenge. And no wonder! The team meets infrequently — and can’t meet in person during the pandemic. Resources may be scarce. Furthermore, … [Read more...]
Using the pandemic to deepen nonprofit partnerships
Note: This guest post is from Julie Ha Truong of Leadership Savvy. Thanks, Julie! It’s difficult to remember the start of 2020, but it was a golden period. We were riding the coattails of 2019 – one of the strongest fundraising years on record. When Covid-19 hit, nonprofit leaders had to react quickly: moving programs online, … [Read more...]
“Why me?” (and other questions donors ask)
Note: This guest post is adapted from Harvey McKinnon’s book, The 11 Questions Every Donor Asks and the Answers All Donors Crave. Next month, I’m excited to be joining Harvey for a webinar on this topic… and you’re invited, too. “Me” is everyone’s favorite subject. It’s no surprise that a donor’s first question (whether spoken or … [Read more...]
What’s a philanthropic advisor? How do I work with one?
Note: This guest post is from Christine Zachai of Forward Philanthropy. Thanks, Christine! Remember when everything was going really well with your favorite major donor? You had a lunch date every year, you knew the names of the children and grandchildren, and you were strategizing together about your next request. Then … [Read more...]
Identifying potential donors … virtually
When it comes to fundraising, nothing beats one person talking with another … preferably in person. As a general rule, people will pledge five to ten times more during a scheduled, face-to-face conversation than they will donate by mail or contribute online. Back in the pre-COVID era, we had these conversations in living rooms, coffee … [Read more...]
Good Trouble: How Nonprofits Can Lobby for Change
Note: This guest post is from Martha Collins. It’s adapted from a piece originally published by the Nonprofit Academy of Wisconsin, co-written with Rob Meiksins. Their training series on nonprofit lobbying begins on September 17. Hello, fellow nonprofiteers! As we write this, the reasons and the need for nonprofit … [Read more...]
Hats, history, and the myth of facilitator objectivity
Note: This guest post is from Annie Winkler of Real Pickles Cooperative. Thanks, Annie! We all have many ways we can think about who we are. There are: Identities based in our families of origin: sibling, child, parent. Labels based in communities we belong to: gay, Indigenous, physically-abled, poor, cis-gendered, … [Read more...]
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