Capital Campaigns
12 Ways to Grow Your Pool of Major Donors
Every nonprofit executive would love to have a free-flowing stream of major gifts. Here are some tips to help you grow your pool of major donors. How to Inspire Major Donors Here are strategies you can employ to create a new pool of major donors and to inspire your current donors to get further involved:…
Read MoreFighting a Campaign Slowdown
As much as we plan, plan, plan, there inevitably comes a time in most capital campaigns when activity slows dramatically. This is known as a campaign slowdown. There are few things more frustrating in a capital campaign than losing valuable momentum. Capital Campaign Momentum Properly planned campaigns get off to a quick start because of…
Read MoreHow to Communicate Well with Major Donors
Learning to communicate well and at a deeper level with your major donors is important to grow your base of support. Do you know why your major donors and prospects would care about what you do? Consider Donor Motivation When it comes to what motivates your major donors, think about these questions: What relationship do…
Read MoreHow to Create a Great Campaign Meeting
Here at CDS Fundraising, we know from decades of experience that fundraising efforts thrive on momentum. A well-run campaign meeting is one of the best tools we have to inspire, motivate, and push our volunteer leaders to achieve their goals and further this momentum. By including the proper components, we can make campaign meetings the…
Read MoreHow to Be an Agent of Change
I was surprised to see in recent weeks that a six-year-old book remains on the New York Times Best Seller List, recently at #3 among nonfiction paperbacks. The book is The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. It seems as though it has become its own best promoter, demonstrating what happens when…
Read MoreOvercome the Emotional Costs of Paying for Fundraising
Few Board Members would argue with the adage “You have to spend money to make money.” Yet campus leaders often quibble about how much to spend to raise money or what funds to use to finance campaign costs. Perhaps a more pertinent expression when it comes to paying for fund-raising is “Everybody wants to go…
Read MoreManage Your Time During a Capital Campaign
How to Manage Your Time During a Capital Campaign Recruit a Campaign Director One of the major benefits of retaining a full-time resident fundraising consulting firm to direct a capital campaign is that the group gains a seasoned campaign director. This person orchestrates all of the campaign activities in the most efficient manner and streamlines…
Read MoreHow to Write a Great Apology Letter
Maybe you send a donor an acknowledgement letter for a gift in memory of his son—who happens to be alive and well. Or you mistakenly drop a longtime patron from the invitation list for a gala event. You might send a donor a thank-you letter for a $50 gift, but she gave $50,000. How do…
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