Professional Fundraising
Tell It to Them Straight
As non-profit professionals, we rely on volunteers to complete our work, and the mission of our organization. Individuals who give their time and energy—above and beyond their financial commitment—are the lifeblood of charitable groups. Volunteers come in many forms. People may be long-term volunteers as a member of the board, they may be short-term volunteers…
Read MoreA Major Fundraising Capital Campaign –Take Your Marks, Get Set, and Go!
Preparing for a major fundraising campaign can be a momentous process in the life of a non-profit organization. Board members, executives, and professionals are excited and probably more than a little anxious as they consider how best to begin the complicated and important process of raising major capital commitments. The objective viewpoint of experienced campaign…
Read MoreSurefire Ways to Identify Your Major Gift Prospects, Part 1
Going from an innocuous list of people in your database to a select list of top prospects is not difficult, but it does require discipline in an orderly process to distinguish who can be a leader, who has the interest in your cause and who has the wealth to make a difference. In the fundraising…
Read MoreSubmitting New Proposals to Foundations: Letter, Inquiry or Proposal?
We have all heard it before when planning for a major capital fund drive: “We’ll get lots of money from foundations and grants!” Of course, there are varying degrees of truth in that declaration. While they can make some substantial gifts, foundations in general account for less than 10% of all charitable giving in America.…
Read MoreStrategic Planning Puts Business On The Road To Success
With all the emphasis on change these days, why in the world would an organization want to create a five-year strategic plan? Ask most business people and they’ll concede that they can’t predict what will happen in the next quarter, let alone several years from now.
Read MoreStarting an Annual Giving Program
I know that fundraising is my vocation because I can never pass up an opportunity to contribute to an organization’s development efforts. Such was the case with a fledgling not-for-profit group to which I belong. They are a dedicated support group for families of children born with a certain birth defect. Their president is a…
Read MoreYour Non-Profit Organization’s Volunteers—Your Lifeline
Beginning a good relationship with your non-profit organizations’ volunteers doesn’t have to take a lot of effort. When working with a volunteer, a simple smile can be worth a million dollars, and just might be. Volunteers are the heart and soul of your organization. Without them a day would not run as smoothly, the number…
Read MoreYes You Can
My mother carefully explained to me that I could be anything I wanted to be. She would say, “if you are going to achieve anything worthwhile in this world, you must first believe that you can.”
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