Fundraising
Insights
Fundraisers cannot afford to be passive.
This is a message I recently shared with a major gifts team. As major gift fundraisers, we can't wait for donors to come to us; we must actively engage them, showcasing the impact of their contributions to our nonprofit’s work.
While major gift...
What happens when Mission Impact + Nonprofit Leadership + the Fundraising Team are not aligned
Recently, while working with a client, she shared exciting news over Zoom. They had received a generous $25,000 gift for their museum. I was overjoyed for them! Initially, the plan was to meet...
People sometimes wonder why I am obsessed with using phone calls as a key tool in major gift fundraising. The answer is simple: it works. And it boosts giving and donor retention.
My mantra: "phone calls are a powerful tool for major gift fundraising."
I've seen firsthand how a simple phone...
How can you craft a more effective donor tour underpinned with a solid major gift strategy?
I've had several clients ask me how they can improve the donor tours.
I'll use a recent coaching call as an example, with a food bank in the United States.
This food bank had a unique...
I clearly remember walking into the development office, dreading opening up the CRM to start my fundraising week.
Sometimes It was because I'd worked all day Saturday, and worried part of Sunday about the work that was waiting for me on Monday. Other times because there was a...
I've handled huge portfolios where I felt as though I was playing catch-up all the time on certain donors. They rarely responded when I sent something like an update until they were ready to talk about their gift.
Other times, I worked with donors who I couldn't give enough information, and in...
"I JUST HATE PHONE CALLS!"
I have two clients I recently worked with and they both hate making phone calls.
When exploring the discomfort of his phone experiences, I asked Client A if he ever called his mom. "No, I just see her around town.
Do you text instead? I asked. "Nope!" T
..."Donor, would today be the right time to speak about your impact with [charity]? Our impact continues to [impact]."
If you still have donors or prospects on your list who you meant to ask, tried to ask, or have been trying to have a conversation with... now is the time to get engaged in...
Sometimes, you only understand how good a thing is when you look back on it.
Such is the case with the boss in my very first job - Cliff Sanderlin.
My first fundraising job was at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. What a great mission, what great healing, what changed...
"So if you aspire to be a good conversationalist, be an attentive listener. To be interesting, be interested. Ask questions that other persons will enjoy answering. Encourage them to talk about themselves and their accomplishments.”
This quote from Dale...
As a fundraiser, I've come to realize that I'm more than a connector to charitable gifts. I'm a catalyst for change.
As fundraisers, we take the hopes and aspirations of supporters and prospects - their desire for a better world - and connect them to the life-changing missions...
I believe that the most effective fundraising is connection-based fundraising.
Sure, you can "get donations in the door" with simple transactions. But most nonprofits are in it for the long haul, to create lasting, positive change in the world. So you want lasting donor...