The Board’s Role in Fundraising

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on July 6, 2016

There’s been frequent discussion about a Board Member’s obligation to contribute to his/her nonprofit; and, what that boils down to is that every Board Member must set an example by giving to the best of his/her ability. Even a dollar (if that’s all s/he can afford) will help demonstrate, to other potential (individual and institutional) […]

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Development: A Skill, Not a Buzzword

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on June 29, 2016

A few years ago I asked: “Does your nonprofit have a Director of Development who Isn’t?” Since then I’ve encountered organizations with “Philanthropy Coordinators,” “Fund Directors,” “Donor Managers,” and people with equally unimpressive titles – people who didn’t know the definition of “Development.” So many nonprofits are hiring people for all-or-part of their fundraising/development operations […]

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Fundraising vs. Development: They’re Not The Same Thing

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on June 22, 2016

“Development” is, by definition, the process of creating and enhancing relationships with (potential) donors to ensure current and future funding; “Fundraising” is only about income generation. With “Development,” with the relationships you create, you take a major step toward ensuring future income; with “Fundraising,” income generation focuses on “now,” with no provision, no assurance, and […]

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Marketing, Donor Acquisition, Development

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on June 15, 2016

In the NP community, as elsewhere, it’s targeted marketing that is most effective. But you can’t target your market until they’ve been identified. Direct mail is, for many NPOs, an essential part of building a substantial base for the donor pyramid. But, unless you’re a huge organization with high visibility and a great level of […]

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Don’t Be Unkind to In-Kind Donations

By Tony Poderis on June 8, 2016

An email read: “I own a catering company and we often donate goods and services to nonprofits in our community … to a generous degree. Frankly, we are discontinuing the practice, [as we’re] just tired of being treated like ‘second class’ donors.” Having heard that complaint many times before, I responded: I know exactly how […]

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Give & Get: Wise Advice or An Obsolete Concept??

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on June 1, 2016

A few months ago I received an inquiry from one of the national development publications. The writer was preparing to do a piece profiling some “…smart, brave organizations that have dispensed with a fundraising convention – tradition, “best practice”, sacred cow, what have you – and have been the better for it. One of those […]

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An “Immature” 30-Year-Old Ministry

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on May 25, 2016

Before anyone gets insulted, a “mature” nonprofit has a strategic plan, a development plan and, even, a marketing plan. They have a budget and they know where the money is coming from to fund that budget. An “immature” nonprofit, on the other hand, doesn’t…. In a recent email, the writer said that she had been […]

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Another New Nonprofit…

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on May 18, 2016

…that wants other people to fund their good idea !! The email said: “We have started a NPO with the premise of completing a project to support a religious group. The project is a book we plan to market, with the profits going to that group. Our team consists of experts to write, design, produce […]

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The Fundraising Blog is Taking a Break

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on May 5, 2016

We’ll be back in a couple of weeks, and we look forward to answering your questions and discussing your issues. Thank you… =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Have you heard about The Fundraising Series of ebooks? They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99-$4.99) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating or expanding your […]

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Questions from A New Organization About Their Annual Event

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on April 27, 2016

The email said that the “new” organization has one major event every year, and their Executive Director appointed one of their new board members as the event chair for this year because she (the ED) was pretty much burned out from doing everything over the last two years. She anticipates having to continue to play […]

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