When meeting with new clients, I often hear this exact same question, “But, our organization receives state and federal funds…how can we realistically make the case for our fundraising?” And, my answer is, “Even more so you can! It is these organizations that unfortunately, truly need to diversify their fundraising and become even less reliant on […]
I worked with various sized organizations all with different causes and the one thing that I see most in common is that they lack strong broad-based donor bases at the lower level. Most have focused their efforts on building relationships with their top donors, if at all. But, most do not have enough broad-based support […]
Development audit after development audit of small- to mid-sized organizations reveals that while donor retention remains a critical issue there is also another that is equally as important. Far too many groups are not focusing their fundraising efforts on wide-scale donor acquisition efforts. As a result, many are witnessing stagnant yearly returns or, even more […]
This article originally appeared in Dennis Fischman’s blog, Communicate, on July 29, 2019 I’m certain that many of you reading this have experienced a change in leadership at your nonprofit organization at one time or another. Someone reached the age of retirement or resigned to care for a loved one, or accepted a new assignment […]
Just recently, I noticed as I was driving around that everyone seems to be frantic. Or, is it more frenetic? Folks weaving in and out, road rage, and overall cortisol on overload. In comparison, I just spent three months in Australia. And, my three months there was met with an attitude more “European” in senses. […]
A guest post by Dennis Fischman of Communicate! Consulting For many nonprofit organizations, summer is a slow time. If you are in Development and Communications, you know that many of your supporters are at the beach or running “mommy camp” at home. They are not spending as much time looking at the communications you send […]
Often, I work with clients who don’t adequately plan for their calendar year-end efforts. This lack of planning does a disservice to the organization for a couple of important reasons. One such reason is that calendar year-end efforts and an annual fund are part of the building blocks of all fundraising. Second, the year-end calendar […]
Before you can even solicit sponsors for your fundraising special events, you need to take several key steps first to best position your organization. What most groups fail to do is evaluate their sponsor value proposition first and foremost, before event seeking sponsorships. Far too many of my clients will seek first and define last. […]
The Board. It can make or break your organization. If assembled and organized correctly, it can chart a successful future that prospers and preserves inspiration and creativity of its members and benefactors alike. If not, well…insert your own scenario, and you probably could, based on the stories I have heard from clients. Poorly developed Boards […]
I often get asked, “What are the key indicators of a strong nonprofit fundraising campaign?” In order to have a strong fundraising campaign of any sort, whether it be capital, endowment, or even annual, you need several hallmarks of success in place before you launch it. Let me share with you what is needed to […]
What happens when you don’t invest in donor acquisition? Well, your organization will face a declining donor base with the need to raise more money from fewer donors. With about 10% of donor bases naturally declining each year, the focus either becomes on raising more money through a small number of donors or deciding to […]
In this day and age, as development professionals, we need to keep our eye both on donor retention and acquisition. It is one thing to retain your current donors. But if you are not constantly acquiring new ones, your donor file will naturally attrition through donors changing addresses, passing on, or just choosing not to […]
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