Empowering Your Campaign Volunteers

Capital campaign volunteers are the lifeblood of a nonprofit organization. They are passionate advocates for organizations, sharing their involvement with friends, neighbors, and colleagues. A nonprofit will not find more effective public relations than a motivated volunteer, especially during a capital campaign. A common oversight during the planning stages of a capital campaign is to…

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Setting Realistic Goals in Your Fundraising

It is vital to establish realistic fundraising goals based on sound research and thorough planning. Realistic goals reflect both the organization’s understanding of its financial structure and its capability to challenge existing and prospective donors. To learn more about financial goal setting for your campaign, check out our related article. Setting Realistic Fundraising Goals Start…

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Successful Solicitation: Prepare and Follow-Up

In the fundraising profession, we are constantly learning from each other. In fact, sometimes we learn as much from projects that do not exceed our expectations as those that do. When meeting with clients and potential clients, I often point out that fundraising is not rocket science. Anyone can ask a prospect for money. What…

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Analyze Before Every Major Solicitation

As Socrates once famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Discipline and introspective examination were among the greatest virtues for the ancient Greek philosophers. Those concepts are just as critical for a productive life today, particularly in fundraising. Before every major solicitation, I sit with the volunteers and staff members who will be…

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