A Brave New World of Giving

Donors can now give money online to every charity in America. Seeking to do good works — and to make money doing it — a score of dot-com businesses have started Internet sites that they hope will become a one-stop place for donors to make all their gifts to charity. Some of the sites offer…

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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:…

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Fighting 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…

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4 Principles for Cause-Marketing

Partnering with commercial businesses can be a great way for nonprofit organizations to fundraise. Over the past decade, cause-marketing relationships between nonprofit and commercial businesses have grown exponentially in popularity. Campaigns like Yoplait Save Lids to Save Lives, Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, American Express’ The Members Project, Nike’s Livestrong Bracelets, and The Gap’s Product…

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How 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…

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Overcome 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…

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Nonprofit Boards – The Eighth Wonder of the World

We are all taught early in life that there exist only seven “Wonders of the World.” However, as development professionals working in North America, we are working on a daily basis with the Eighth Wonder of the World: the non-profit board member. Where else on this planet do so many successful men and women volunteer…

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