7 Things Successful Fundraisers Are Doing To Maximize Revenue That You’re Probably Not
When fundraisers know how to spend their time and only give attention to tasks that advance their efforts, amazing things will happen. Revenue flows into the mission, inspiring donors engagement. Your fundraisers are happy and stay with your organization for many years, which allows them to create deeper connections with donors. Doesn’t that sound dreamy?…
Read MoreFundraising Board: 4 Ways to Help Board Members be Successful Fundraisers
Here’s the dream: You have a fundraising board. Your board members are introducing you to people in their network, bringing in corporate sponsorships for events, and filling their event tables with amazing prospects. Oh, and, they are signing letters, making thank you calls, and going on solicitation meetings with you. Here’s the reality: We ask…
Read MorePledge Management: When to Write Off a Pledge
Pledge management is not for the faint of heart. Especially when it comes to writing off pledges, because we know our donors had the best intentions when they committed the gift. Unfortunately, there comes a time when you have to get that pledge off your books. Any and all write offs need to be coordinated…
Read MoreOvercome these top 10 fundraising database issues, and you are on your way to data health and integrity!
Your fundraising database should be the hub — the destination — for everyone in your department. To achieve this, your fundraising database must be clean, tidy, logical, and friendly. For every working person on the planet, when they start their day, they open up their email to check in on what is happening. The perfect…
Read MoreHow My Dread of Walking into Work Changed My Life and Helped Me Build A Clean Database Empire
I laid in bed. It was 6am. And I really didn’t want to move…I knew that walking into work meant walking into an inherited fundraising database riddled with duplicate records, bad gift coding, and missing data….and people would want lists and reports.
Read MoreA Major Gifts Rite of Passage: Getting Turned Down
I will never forget my very first face-to-face solicitation out on my own. I was raising money for an incredible children’s museum that made tremendous impact in my community, and it was my first job as a fundraiser. I think back to that day and cringe! The solicitation was made too early and without enough…
Read MoreThink You Inspire Your Donors? Check Your Retention Rate
Think You Inspire Your Donors? Check Your Retention Rate There are two great things about utilizing your organization’s donor retention rate as a temperature check for your development program. Firstly, you are measuring participation rates, which is a powerful way to understand how many of your donors are actually giving when they are asked. Secondly,…
Read MoreUsing Science to Improve the Art of Fundraising
Every fundraiser knows there’s an art and a science to generating revenue. For a long time, I used to think the art of fundraising was much more fun than the science, but the more solicitations and years in the field under my belt, the more I appreciated the science. I appreciate the science so much, I…
Read MoreNever Underestimate the Power of a Widow
Even Beyonce said, ‘girls rule the world.’ It’s also true in the world of philanthropy. Women and their role in philanthropy have been hot topics for many years. There are amazing books that go into the depths of exactly how women are moving the needle. In this blog post we’ll focus on female widows and…
Read MoreMake the Most of Your Year-End Fundraising
Year-end is a monumental time in the nonprofit sector. Fundraising efforts are already in full swing – and for good reason! A 2012 GuideStar Survey concluded that 50.5 percent of organizations surveyed said they receive the majority of contributions between October and December. It is critical that nonprofits spend time building smart tactics early because every donor they have will be solicited…
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