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...]
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...]
Stop Nagging Your Board! Encouraging Follow-Through on Fundraising Commitments
In my role as a fundraising consultant, the question I’m asked most often is, “How do I get my board to raise money?” I bet you’ve asked it, too – perhaps dozens of times. The next question is also pretty predictable. “They offered to help, but they won’t follow through. What do we do now?” First, remember they’re volunteers Board … [Read more...]
Three Ways to Hire a Fundraiser
Do your plans for the New Year include hiring a development director? Perhaps your board is saying, “If we’re going to be better fundraisers, we need better professional training and support from the staff.” I have this conversation often, because so many nonprofits are looking for skilled development people and want recruitment … [Read more...]
Train Your Staff to Raise Money
Years ago, I was hired to lead an all-staff fundraising workshop for a mid-sized nonprofit. When I walked into the training room, about a dozen people were waiting for me: arms crossed, eyes down, sideways smirks. This was a “mandatory training opportunity” for program staff. None of them had the words “fundraising” or “development” … [Read more...]