Six Goals For A Direct Mail Letter

By Jonathan Howard on October 29, 2014

Here six key objectives I set for every fundraising letter I write. I use these as standards to review and rewrite a draft appeal until I can’t improve it further. 1. Create a personal connection. Always use the first person singular (“I,” “me,” “my”), never the snooty-sounding, disembodied “we.” Talk to me as if we […]

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What’s Coming – The Next Nine Weeks of the Fundraising Blog

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on October 22, 2014

October 29: Six Goals For A Direct Mail Letter by Jonathan Howard …six key elements for every fundraising letter – standards to use to review and rewrite a draft appeal until it can’t be improved further. November 5: Remind Your Donors to Give Stocks and Mutual Funds by John Elbare Stocks and mutual funds make […]

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Tech-Related Advice For My Fellow Millennials

By K. Michael Johnson on October 15, 2014

In my last post, I shared a few thoughts with fundraising managers about supervising “digital natives.” Today, I have some tech-related advice for my fellow Millennials. 1. Stay open to the possibility that the internet may not be the solution every time. Sometimes, for example, emailing your prospect just won’t get it done. You may […]

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Reason And Emotion In Grant Writing: An Observation

By Tony Poderis on October 8, 2014

On June 18 & 25, Lynne deLearie wrote about “Reason and Emotion in Grant Proposals.” Coincidentally, I’ve recently been involved in some discussions in which some folks were leaning much too far in one direction or the other. Those conversations were prompted by what one participant reported as an interesting article in The Chronicle of […]

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Checklists – A Valuable Tool for the Nonprofit – Part III

By Carter McNamara on October 1, 2014

In my previous two posts, I’ve suggested that checklists can be very valuable in helping your non-profit achieve success with its enrollment in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). One reason that a checklist is valuable is that it helps you create consistent results over time. Notice that I said, “helps.” I didn’t say that a […]

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When to Hire a Fundraising/Development Consultant – Part II

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on September 24, 2014

Last week I ended with the thought that a good reason to work with a consultant is to help you avoid disaster. Considering that, here are a few more reasons you might want to talk with a development/fundraising consultant. When you want/need to dramatically increase your fundraising goals. Too many nonprofits, wanting to expand their […]

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When to Hire a Fundraising/Development Consultant – Part I

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on September 17, 2014

The need to engage a Development/Fundraising consultant depends not only on whether or not your organization already has the specific expertise it needs; but, also, if an outside perspective is needed to help you identify your strengths and/or weaknesses, or if an outsider is needed to help you break up your internal logjam … and […]

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Two Topics This Week: 1. Starting a Bequest Program & 2. Being Quick and Genuine With Your Thanks

By Two Blog Contributors on September 10, 2014

1. Your Bequest Program: It’s Easy Getting Started by John Elbare, CFP The simple bequest, which is a charitable gift in a donor’s will (or living trust), still accounts for most planned gifts. Bequest marketing should be a part of every fund raising program. Simple marketing messages can reap huge future revenues for your organization. […]

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Checklists – A Valuable Tool for the Nonprofit – Part II

By Carter McNamara on September 3, 2014

In January 2009, a US Airways jet taking off from LaGuardia airport jet hit a flock of geese 3 minutes after takeoff and immediately lost power in all engines. With two minutes of altitude left, Captain Sully and his crew reached for their checklists dealing with loss of engine power and emergency landings; and, in […]

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Things That Fundraising Managers Need To Keep In Mind When Working With Millennials

By K. Michael Johnson on August 27, 2014

1. A Love Note From Your Millennials Dear Boss, The Internet, The Internet, The Internet. Love, Your Millennial. I had a boss who would yell questions at us from his desk chair. Didn’t matter what people were doing, or who was around. If he wanted to know something, he’d just blurt it out and expect […]

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