Capital Campaigns
3 Necessities to Consider When Soliciting a Gift
In everyday life, asking for financial support is something many of us struggle with. When confronting someone with such delicate requests, we ask ourselves questions like: The truth is, asking for financial support is challenging in any context, and in many cases, the answers to these questions vary greatly. Here at Custom Development Solutions, our…
Read MoreWhat is the Importance of Campaign Report Meetings?
Capital campaigns are extraordinary undertakings requiring extraordinary effort from those involved. “Those involved” include the fundraising professionals responsible for designing and implementing the campaign, professional staff of the organization, the donors and volunteers. The purpose of this article is to focus on one element in the implementation of the campaign plan that requires the active…
Read MorePreparing for a Campaign Feasibility and Planning Study 2nd Edition
With each year, more and more non-profit organizations are preparing to enter into capital campaigns to construct or update facilities, build endowments, supplement operations and pursue other worthy financial goals. The more successful of these organizations will hire consulting firms to conduct Campaign Feasibility and Planning Studies. Identifying the best possible consulting firm for your…
Read MoreCapital Campaigns — Dream the Impossible Dream
Through our work as capital campaign consultants and a fundraising consulting firm, the members of Custom Development Solutions (CDS) are, at any given time, talking with representatives of dozens of non-profit organizations across the US and Canada. Serving as the hub for that much dialogue allows us to make observations and draw conclusions about the…
Read MoreDon’t Let Life Pass You By – Seize the Moment
Most of Custom Development Solution’s work revolves around the planning and resident direction of capital campaigns, which is a very intensive hands-on service. Frequently the first step I take with a potential client is to sit and listen to them describe their organization from their history and origins to their vision for the future and…
Read More6 Parts of an Effective Fundraising Offer
In his video, Jeff Brooks from TrueSense Marketing, explores the 40/40/20 rule of direct marketing and its role in fundraising. The 40/40/20 rule suggests that 40% of the success of a direct marketing campaign comes from the quality of your list, 40% from your request and 20% from the creative. The video touches on all…
Read MoreFundraising During a Pandemic?!
5 things you can do to raise more money in the 4th quarter of 2020 “A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.” – General George Patton Nonprofits are three quarters into calendar year 2020, which is a logical time for reflection, and recalibration as you enter the best four fundraising months of the year. The…
Read MoreConnecting with People
In the fundraising consulting business, like institutional development, we deal with people. If we are to deal with them effectively and successfully, we have to be able to connect with them personally. To the degree that we can make that personal connection and work to build and strengthen that connection, we are then able to…
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