How to take care of yourself as a busy nonprofit fundraising professional
It all happens to us. Time silently ticks away, and deadlines loom. And, then, BAM, out of the blue, a crisis occurs with a client, or some other proverbial "fire" starts burning. Perhaps it is a last-minute grant deadline suddenly arises,…
How to keep your small shop fundraising focus on your major donor work
After having served most of my career as a Director of Development in a small organization, I understand the realities of trying to handle all of the major tasks and responsibilities that come up daily; plus the fires that seem to endlessly…
Analyzing your calendar year-end fundraising efforts for effectiveness
Many groups end the year and then move onto their next project starting January 1.
While forward-thinking and acting is important, it is also equally as critical to do some analysis of the past year; calendar year-end, particularly, since…
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Let me share a story with you...
A few years back when I first started consulting, I provided organizations like yourself with strategic fund development audits and assessments and then crafted finely honed plans.
What I thought were roadmaps…
How to ensure a successful new nonprofit fundraising year
Now that it is January, you may think that it is time to relax a bit after that hectic holiday season. However, now is the time to ensure that you have strong follow-up to your calendar year-end appeal.
If you have closed out one fundraising…
How to recruit the best fundraising volunteers possible
Fundraising volunteers are critical to our success as they are the "ambassadors" of our fundraising efforts. I often get asked, what is the best way of recruiting them to join in fundraising efforts?
And, while I believe that, in some cases,…
How to run your annual fund like a capital campaign
Annual campaigns can be run just like capital campaigns. Yes, you heard it right. Far too often, I see an annual campaign as only a single, direct mail campaign. However, you can apply the same campaign structure to annual campaigns as you…
How to brand your resume to land your next development position
Have you ever wondered how you can land that next fundraising job? While networks are important, a branded resume will really make you stand out and land that next position.
Below are steps that you can take to begin to brand yourself as…
How to approach your major donors during your calendar year-end campaign
When organizations start to segment their calendar year-end appeal letters, they often start off with segmenting out active donors and non-active donors. Far too many organizations don't think of segmenting out their major donors for more…
How to follow-up on your calendar year-end appeal once it is mailed
Now that your calendar year-end appeal has gone out in the mail, what is left to do?
Well, if you take the "sit back and wait" approach you will be missing out for your organization.
Here are some follow-up steps that you may want to consider…
How to ensure the health of your development program through your annual fund
Often, groups wonder, on what should I focus most throughout my annual fund?
Over the years, I have determined the most critical factors for ensuring that a development program is not only healthy but thriving.
The health of a development…
How to facilitate a donor prospect rating session
While wealth screening is an essential tool for fundraisers of today, I still hold true to augmenting a screening with the old "tried and true" Prospect Rating and Ranking Session.
What is a Rating and Ranking Session and how would you hold…
