Fundraising/Development: “It’s Easy, Anyone Can Do It”

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on October 15, 2010

I received an email the other day, from a fellow who identified himself as someone with a sales and marketing background whose company was recently sold. He indicated that he had been approached about taking a development position at a local educational institution, and asked if there is a primer for the development/fundraising arena. Since […]

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Corporation Solicitation Programs – Part 3 of 3: The Process

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on October 12, 2010

Keeping in mind that only about 5% of all non-governmental giving to nonprofits comes from corporations, you’ll want to use your time and resources cost-effectively. That means not trying to get funding from every corporation that comes to mind. So, first, make a (wish) list of all those corporations, and then gather the material you […]

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Corporation Solicitation Programs – Part 2 of 3: Not For Every Nonprofit

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on October 8, 2010

In considering the creation of a corporate solicitation program (a CSP), the first questions I’d ask of a nonprofit is whether they realize that only five-percent of all “charitable” giving to nonprofits comes from corporations, and (considering “return-on-investment”) how much of their time, energy and assets do they want to dedicate to this effort? Whether […]

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Corporation Solicitation Programs – Part 1 of 3: Consultant Compensation

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on October 5, 2010

A thread in a listserve in which I participate addressed the question(s) of Creating-and-Implementing and Finding-and-Compensating a Consultant to help with a Corporate Solicitation Program. Interestingly, the latter issue stimulated most of the responses/comments, with little attention being paid to the former. So, I’ll address the “more popular” issue first – compensating the “consultant” … […]

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Asking For The Major Gift – Part 3 of 3

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on October 1, 2010

There is a simple, but not simplistic, description of what major gift fundraising is all about: It’s having the right person, ask the right person, for the right amount, at the right time, under the right circumstances. The two right people are the cultivator/solicitor and the prospective donor. They’ve developed a common interest, a relationship […]

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Asking For The Major Gift – Part 2 of 3

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on September 28, 2010

Raising money from wealthy people is not the same as asking buddies at work to kick in a few bucks or selling cookies. The size of the gifts expected in those cases is rather small and not a lot of cultivation goes into the process. People who are major gifts prospects have (more than likely) […]

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Asking For The Major Gift – Part 1 of 3

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on September 24, 2010

One of the things I find most frustrating about teaching classes in fundraising is the frequency in which people cry about not knowing the best/easiest way to ask for the gift and/or ask when/where will be the next class in “How to Ask.” O.K. I understand. A significant percentage of volunteers/leaders who are involved in […]

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Impress Funders With Your Grant Proposal

By Andrew Grant on September 21, 2010

(Writing a “Wow” Needs Statement) So, how do you capture and hold the attention of the funder reading your proposal? The first section of each proposal, after an introduction or executive summary, is the Needs Statement. That is where the proposal writer presents and justifies the request for funding. The funder, of course, will be […]

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Evaluating Your Major Gifts Prospects

By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on September 17, 2010

Too many people (NPO board members, volunteers and staff) believe that “Evaluation” means determining what a potential donor should give!! That couldn’t be more wrong. A formal evaluation process has two objectives: to identify a dollar amount that the prospective donor would be likely to be able to afford; and, to identify a (realistic) dollar […]

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Constructing An Effective Grant Proposal (First Part of a Series)

By Andrew Grant on September 14, 2010

So, you’ve completed your research and are ready to start writing!! The question, now, is how do you go about structuring your grant proposal? For those circumstances where the funder provides specific guidelines, there’s only one rule worth remembering: “Follow those guidelines to-the-letter.” But what about those many occasions when there are no guidelines for […]

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