Fundraising

One of the largest sources of untapped funding for nonprofit organizations comes from corporate philanthropic programs. These include matching gift programs, in which corporations match employee donations, usually dollar for dollar, to eligible nonprofit organizations. About 65% of Fortune 500 companies offer a program like this, as well as countless other corporations, so the chances that a donor works for a company with a matching gift program is relatively high. The problem is that a majority of donors aren't aware that these programs exist. Or if they do, they believe the matching gift request submission process to be a long and [...]

A capital campaign is a fundraising campaign hosted by a nonprofit with a specific dollar amount in mind. There is an intense focus on funding a high-cost project, backed by a nonprofit’s board, and the campaign’s timeline can last upwards of a year, consisting of two phases: the quiet phase and the public phase. The quiet phase comes after your preparation. This is when you’ll focus on major gift donations and reach 50%-70% of your end goal. Then, you’ll have your kickoff event followed by your public phase, which is when you branch out to your entire donor base and your [...]

According to Content Marketing Institute’s 2015 “State of Nonprofit Content Marketing” - 61% of marketers are using content marketing, only 35% say they are using it effectively, and only 23% report having a written content strategy.   These numbers tell me two things. First, there’s a lot of really bad content out there. And secondly, there is a TON of room for improvement for nonprofits looking to find success with content marketing.   Let’s take the first big step in documenting your content marketing strategy by determining exactly whom you should be targeting with the content you create.   Successful nonprofit [...]

This post was originally published to John Haydon's blog and is being shared here, with his permission. For most nonprofits, December is the biggest month of the year for the number of new donors acquired, and the amount of total funds raised. Kudos to you if you hit your revenue goals and your acquisition goals. After all, attracting new donors is not easy during a time when hundreds of other causes are also asking for their attention and support. But what now? How can you keep donors interested and engaged throughout the year? And what are the reasons donors leave in the [...]

Every nonprofit organization relies upon the philanthropic support of others to ensure that necessary resources are available to carry out their mission. Thousands of professionals attend annual conferences hosted by fundraising associations covering a wide range of topics. Hundreds of books and articles have been written about fundraising along with extensive research on best practices of annual appeals, major gifts, capital campaigns, donor software systems and digital media technologies. Yet, despite all the knowledge about fundraising, most nonprofit organizations struggle. One of the major reasons is the inability to engage their boards. via GIPHY My goal in this article is to [...]

This post was originally published to Amy Eisenstein's blog, and is being shared here with her permission. Cultivating your potential major gift donors builds and strengthens your relationship with them. Cultivation is a fundraising art, and today you’re going to learn tips on Cultivating Donors. Assuming you’ve been following the Major Gifts Challenge, you already should have a list of your top prospective donors ready to cultivate. If you’re new to the Challenge, check out the introductory video here. Why Do People Give to Your Cause? Cultivation includes preparation. You can’t just ask for a gift without knowing something about the prospect. You need [...]

In a world full of people constantly striving for perfection, it’s only natural for your nonprofit to crave new levels of speed, efficiency, and time management in your everyday projects. That being said, your nonprofit team are not superheroes, and there are definitely times when juggling every task — from fundraiser development and data tracking to marketing and communications — can be just too overwhelming. Luckily, that’s where all the extraordinary types of nonprofit software come into play. Of course, your nonprofit probably already has some of these types of software in place, but the real question is: are you using [...]

Let's take a look at the roots of fundraising.   Did the history of professional fundraising in the U.S. begin with the Village People? Not exactly, but the YMCA played a significant role.   The origins of America were ripe with fundraising, as the wealthy came to the aid of the new colonies, according to Philanthropy in America: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia, Volume 1 (ed. Dwight Burlingame). The philanthropy gave the independent nation a boost so it could acquire strength and confidence.   However, to speak of fundraising on a national, professional scale, consideration goes to the system that Charles Sumner Ward [...]