Professional Fundraising
Spotlight on Success – Making Your Campaign the Priority
Capital campaigns are extraordinary endeavors. According to Webster’s, extraordinary means “going beyond what is usual, regular, or customary.” That is certainly the sort of approach a not-for-profit organization needs to take when conducting a capital campaign. Your objective is not just to achieve a goal but also to maximize your potential, to know that the…
Read MoreYear-End Letter to Supporters – Do It Now!
Every institution is in a perfect position to communicate with their supporters at this time of year. Despite the heavy schedule of ongoing holiday and year-end activities, people are energetic and enthusiastic at this time of year. They are thoughtful, introspective and open to suggestions. They are happy and grateful and in the best of…
Read MoreSpecial Events — Good Times, Great Fundraisers
Special Events: those two words are like a physician’s reflex mallet with Development professionals and non-profit executives. And I’ve just struck the collective knee. As soon as you read ‘special events’ your brain reached deep down into its ancient mammalian part where instinct rules. Did it instantly send you an image of a cheesy low-rent…
Read MoreSpecial Events — A Recipe For Success
Bring up the idea of staging a new special event at your next staff or board meeting, and chances are you will be met with shrieks of horror, glazed expressions and incoherent mumbling. Rare indeed is the nonprofit organization that approaches a sit-down dinner or a Las Vegas night with glee.
Read MoreWhy People Say No
Soliciting major gifts is a difficult process, fraught with potential landmines. It requires a great deal of experience, knowledge, and wisdom to chart a path through this course. If a non-profit organization hopes to execute a successful fundraising effort, they must first identify some of the missteps that can lead prospective donors to say “no.”
Read MoreWhy People Give
Of all the critical elements to a major gift solicitation, perhaps none is greater than the idea of preparation. The ideal goal is to learn enough about your prospect so that you can predict their response and have a ready answer for all of their questions and concerns. If you can eliminate all, or most,…
Read MoreWhom Do We Serve – Do You Really Know Your Constituents?
Do you like to watch people? Are you, like so many people, completely happy sitting in your organization’s lobby, snack shop, cafeteria or other common area watching the people come and go? Do you ever wonder to yourself, who are these people, where do they live, work, and play? To which political party do they…
Read MoreWho Asks Whom and for How Much?
In the beginning of any campaign, there are many important decisions to make, but none is more important than who is asked first, and for how much money. Those of you involved in classic major gifts fundraising know that it is crucial to start with the largest gifts first, before moving gradually through medium sized…
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