“Philanthropy,” An Often Misused Term

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on April 10, 2012

I have a BIG problem with the word/concept of “philanthropy” as it is often misused in the nonprofit/fundraising world. Too often, people in the nonprofit sector equate the terms fundraising, development, charity and contributions with the concept of philanthropy. They are not synonymous. Philanthropy, in its literal definition, refers to “love of mankind/humankind. In the […]

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The CFC: Leveraging National Volunteer Week – April 15-21, 2012

By Carter McNamara on April 5, 2012

In the 7 Keys to CFC Success, Key #3 is “Use all 12 months of the Year.” By the time you get to the actual CFC solicitation period in the fall, you’ll need to have already planted the seeds of awareness in the minds of your current and potential new donors. Communication and marketing professionals […]

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When I Forgot the Meaning of Philanthropy

By Tony Poderis on April 3, 2012

Recently, during a meeting at our Church, I talked to Alice, our pastoral associate, about my wife Joyce and I offering to give a special major contribution for a program she heads. Alice is in charge of a group who regularly review the cases of fellow parishioners in desperate need of money to pay overdue […]

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Your Grantsmanship Team: Who’s on First?

By Lynn deLearie on March 29, 2012

If you’re the only staff person devoted to grantsmanship at your organization, then you’re the one on first … and you’re also the manager!  But, you have a great team, and each member plays an important role in helping to win the grant.  As in baseball, each member of your team has specific responsibilities and […]

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A New Nonprofit, A New Board, and The Grants Process

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on March 27, 2012

A reader wrote: We are a new non-profit, with a mission to promote health and wellness. We will likely be able to obtain a BCBS grant, but we’re now hearing that we must get board approval prior to its writing so that the board can approve the budget. Is this common practice? Our response: The […]

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Managing a Geographically-Dispersed Grant-Proposal-Team

By Jayme Sokolow on March 22, 2012

Until recently, most government grant proposals were developed in a defined physical space. The proposal team worked near each other, had frequent face-to-face contact, and used conference rooms in its work. The New Virtual World of Grant Proposal Construction Today, however, this traditional model of proposal development is rapidly changing. An increasing number of government […]

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Fundraising: If You Don’t Ask, You Don’t Get

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on March 20, 2012

A couple of thoughts to start the new year: The Fundraising Appeal Donors tend to be (highly) selective in deciding whose name goes on the payee line of their checks. Non-Profit Organizations, therefore, must do all they can to get donors to want to give to them. At most times, especially in a “less than […]

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Email Quality Matters – and Each Mistake Costs $40 … or more !!

By Rick Christ on March 15, 2012

One of the advantages of online fundraising and marketing is that the data entry is outsourced to the donor. It’s also one of the disadvantages! When a donor writes a check and mails it to you, you have to pay someone (at your organization, or at a service bureau) to open the envelope, deposit the […]

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Major Gift Fundraising – A Three-Legged Stool

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on March 13, 2012

To stand, to be effective over the long term, a major gifts program needs all three legs: Leaders, Prospects and Involvement of both in the life of your organization. Leadership includes the organization’s CEO, Trustees and (often) key volunteers. It’s their role to define the funding need, take their case to the public, and identify, […]

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The CFC: Choosing Your Leadership Development Team

By Carter McNamara on March 8, 2012

It’s almost spring, and now’s the time to start planning your non-profit’s CFC campaign for the 2012 campaign season. The best-selling author, Jim Collins, who wrote Good to Great, has five key principles for organizational success; and, in his own words, the single most important principle is to “Get the right people on the bus.” […]

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