Note: This post is from Train Your Board partner Laurel McCombs. Thanks, Laurel! My colleague Bob Osborne and I just spent a few great days in New Orleans at the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference (AFP ICON). This might be the largest fundraising conference in the world, with several thousand attendees from … [Read more...]
The long haul: Stamina, persistence, resilience
Note: This is adapted from my first book, Grassroots Grants, published in 1996. It still feels timely. I once wrote on a job application, “I’ve learned to keep my sense of balance and my sense of humor under the usual constraints of not enough time and never enough money.” It’s a clever sentence, but in one sense it’s a lie. When I … [Read more...]
Raising money from businesses: Six ways board members can help
Whenever I’m working with nonprofit boards – specifically, boards with limited fundraising experience – the brainstorm always begins like this: Let’s ask businesses for donations. While I have mixed feelings about this approach – after all, corporations provided only 4% of philanthropic dollars in 2021 – I also understand and … [Read more...]
Seven ways to build community fundraising partnerships
Note: This post is from Train Your Board partner Bob Osborne of The Osborne Group. Thanks, Bob! As the nonprofit sector considers how to behave in a more holistic, community-centric way – in other words, deeply engaging and partnering with the communities we serve – I’ve been wondering: How do we implement this approach with … [Read more...]
Boards and fundraising: Plan B (and C and D…)
Are you satisfied with your board’s fundraising performance? If the answer is an emphatic “No!,” don’t feel bad. You’re not alone. Based on all the inquiries, I could probably lead board fundraising workshops 365 days per year. The demand is endless. Perhaps you’ve tried the standard remedies: pep talks, board retreats, recruiting … [Read more...]
Eight tips for building a great donor survey
Note: This guest post is from Laurel McCombs of The Osborne Group. Thanks, Laurel! My colleague Bob Osborne recently shared why now is the time to conduct your next donor survey. Ready to get started? Here are eight tips to consider. 1. Make sure you know WHY I often get asked about which questions should be included in a donor … [Read more...]
Eight ways to improve board fundraising
Note: This guest post is from Sabrina Walker Hernandez. Thanks, Sabrina! Here’s a question I hear repeatedly: How do I get my board members engaged in fundraising? (Cue the frustrated sighs from executive directors, CEOs, and development staff.) You’ve got options! Here are eight strategies you can use, right now, to improve board … [Read more...]
Funding social change from your own community
Note: This guest post is adapted and condensed from Fundraising for Social Change, 8th Edition, by Kim Klein and Stan Yogi. It explores how the LGBTQ+ rights movement generated funding and people power in San Francisco. Order your copy through your local bookstore. Thanks, Stan and Kim! In the 1970s, lesbians and gay men from … [Read more...]
Why fundraising is better than an endowment
Note: This guest post is from Harvey McKinnon, with assistance from his colleague Kevin Wilson. Thank you both! For many years I served on the board of a small arts organization. I loved the nonprofit, but one thing bothered me every time we went over the budget: our endowment. The endowment totaled about $900,000, just shy of our … [Read more...]
Help your board promote monthly giving
Note: This guest post is from Erica Waasdorp, author of a new book, Monthly Giving Made Easy. Thanks, Erica! Pandemic lesson number one: you need reliable revenue, no matter what. Your best solution is monthly giving: encouraging automatic monthly payments from your donors, typically via credit card or electronic funds transfer … [Read more...]
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