Manage Your Time During a Capital Campaign

How to Manage Your Time During a Capital Campaign Recruit a Campaign Director One of the major benefits of retaining a full-time resident fundraising consulting firm to direct a capital campaign is that the group gains a seasoned campaign director. This person orchestrates all of the campaign activities in the most efficient manner and streamlines…

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Making Direct Mail Work

It’s easy to waste a lot of money very quickly with direct mail. The cost of the “package” as well as postage costs can soon exceed the income and benefits of any program. Here are 14 questions that may help focus your direct mail and make the effort successful for you and your organization.

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Major Gift Fundraising with Fraternity Alumni

What really motivates donors? The Omega chapter of Alpha Beta Theta is clearly worthy of support, but brothers won’t give simply because the Fraternity is worthy, they will give because of their own needs. For every donor, there are personal rewards associated with making a gift. Your job is to help the potential donor explore…

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Golf Tournament as a Fund Raising Special Event

Often this question is the most important one to answer. Should we do a fund raising golf benefit tournament, and if so, why? The only good reason is to make money for the charity. There are ancillary reasons, such as “friend-raising” or the identification of new prospects, and the esprit de corps that is created…

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Go for the Gold: Ask for What You Want

The old adage “go for the gold” is particularly appropriate now, as the world gears up for the next Olympics. Athletes from all over the world are training for their opportunity to go for the gold and show that they are the best. For many of them, it will be their only Olympiad; their only…

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“Giving Them What They Want”—from Broadway to Social Media

In the musical “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” two con-artists, Lawrence and Andre, sing this ironic song about how they can get what they want simply by giving the people they want it from, exactly what THEY want (check out a clip from this song at http://goo.gl/pe908F ).  We’re not trying to encourage you to steal from…

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Major Gift Calls: Get What You Came For

What should you do when someone gives you $250,000? Well, that depends on who it is, how much was asked of them, and why they gave it to you! The answer to this question varies with the circumstances surrounding this major gift call. Obviously, no matter what the circumstances, you want to thank this person…

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