Category: Fundraising
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Essential Major Donor Toolkit Workshop
On June 2nd in Portland, I’ll be offering a special 3 hour workshop I’ve put together on the essentials of an effective major donor program. It will be tailored for…
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Should your nonprofit use a Resource Council?
A Resource Council. A Council of Leaders. These are two names I’ve experienced as alternatives to an “Advisory Board,” which is more common in the nonprofit world. What I like…
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Donor Stewardship Basics and Beyond
I recently put together a presentation for The Databank on effective donor stewardship, which some people call donor cultivation. You can check out the slides from the webinar below. …
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Your organization is an intermediary
One of the more interesting words I recently heard used to describe nonprofits is as “intermediaries.” Under this way of thinking, your organization isn’t the protagonist in your story. Instead,…
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Questions from Joan Garry to ask candidates for your fundraising job
Joan Garry has some superb questions to ask those interviewing with you for a fundraising job, as well as what types of answers you should hope they provide. I particularly…
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Donor meeting locations
One of the truisms of fundraising, corroborated by expert fundraisers across nearly every type of nonprofit is that meeting in-person with donors almost always provides the best way to upgrade…
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The power of asking good questions
When I’m asked what are the most important attributes for an effective major donor fundraiser, I often say: “nothing beats being naturally curious.” Because a good fundraiser doesn’t talk at…
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The biggest barrier to effective major donor fundraising
What’s the biggest barrier to organizations launching an effective major donor program? My three nominees are: • Lack of connections • Lack of time • Lack of skills Let’s discuss…
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No magic words, but themes matter
I was recently asked by a nonprofit leader whether there are certain words or phrases that the organization should be sure to utilize in major donor fundraising because they tend…
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The Science behind Storyelling
Here’s a really quick, but useful read about the science that explains why fundraising via storytelling is more effective than relying on statistics to mak your case. Why Your Brain…