Communications and Networking
Financial Goal Setting for Your Campaign
When setting a financial goal for your organization’s campaign, you want to choose a minimum goal that is both challenging and attainable. Nothing is more discouraging than running a great campaign and coming up a few thousand dollars short of the minimum goal.
Read MoreFielding Solicitors for a Campaign Team
Introduction Just as sports teams are built around the players’ abilities and strengths, so too are campaign teams. And when a team needs a particular skill or asset, the coaches can either try to develop it among their current players or, more likely, recruit or draft for that ability. The four fundamentals of a campaign…
Read MoreBecause You Can
Success is relative, but perfection is precise! What for one organization or person would be an extraordinary performance, for another is disappointing. It’s all relative to the standard with which something is compared. Years ago, I participated in a panel discussion during a board retreat for a very well respected regional arts festival. They were…
Read MoreBe Kind, Even When They Say No
If the first rule of fundraising is to ask, the second is to be kind about it. An organization should develop a true conviction of its worth and the services provided to others. Fundraisers should never solicit “hat in hand.” However, they should also never presume that a prospective donor has any obligation to give.…
Read MoreLeading on the Frontlines with a Coach on the Sidelines
Both for-profit and non-profit worlds are changing more rapidly today than ever. With daily advances in technology the pace will only increase. Competition is fierce. There are more non-profit organizations scrambling for limited resources. Each management team is required to do more—with less people. Boards want better results with the same budgets and staff.
Read MoreHow to Balance Nonprofit Needs and Resources
Nonprofit organizations invariably suffer from limited resources and a small staff trying to do the work of many. The resulting workload, as well as the personal connection many executives feel toward the group’s mission, can cause staff members to focus their attention within distinct boundaries. True objectivity can be clouded by fierce loyalty and passion…
Read MoreEffective Volunteer Management in a Campaign Setting
Effective volunteer management is at the core of a successful fundraising campaign. Volunteers represent a critical element for a variety of reasons. No one can tell the organization’s story better than a volunteer. They are often someone who has benefited from the organization, and can speak first-hand about the need filled by the group. They…
Read MoreBack to Basics – Keeping it Personal in an Age of Technology
Fundraising is the art of relationship building. People give to people, and people don’t give unless they are asked—that’s Fundraising 101. But in an increasingly technological world, these basic, indelible rules are sometimes forgotten.
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