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8 Reasons development directors leave
“It seems that development positions continue to be an 18 month cycle? Is it organizations not giving them enough time to gain traction or development professionals not as strong as their resumes?” I’ve been following this particular AFP “On Fundraising” LinkedIn group topic for the past...
The dreaded red pen
Several years ago I was blissfully sailing through my first job in nonprofit development after leaving the cushy offices of a private family foundation. It was ideal in that I had autonomy as long as I got results…and I GOT RESULTS! In less than two short years I had increased foundation grant...
From interest to commitment | 7 key drivers
You know you need to thank your donors promptly. You know that it costs more (as much as 10 times) to bring in new donors than to retain your current donors. But beyond thanking ‘em how do you create that special relationship with a donor? How do you go from interest and mild liking to full-fledged...
Are you looking for a commitment on a first date?
My first fiance asked me to marry him on our first date. That’s just weird! It’s amazing that I even went out with him again. What’s this got to do with fundraising? A first donation is like a first date. An indication of interest and mutual attraction. It’s in no way, shape or form...
911 | Musical salve
Five For Fighting” is the musical alias of John Ondrasik..who came up with this one in 2000–almost a year before the towers fell in Manhattan. In the awful days just after….this became like musical salve in New York–most notably among the rescue workers…who heard their stories...
12 simple steps to mastering nonprofit email marketing
Why email marketing? Heather Mansfield writes in “Five Things Your Nonprofit Needs to Know About Web 2.0 Donors” “I believe, despite much talk lately of e-mail “dying”, that in fact the opposite is true. Your nonprofit needs to focus more on your e-mail newsletter than ever before because e-mail...
Four ways to ramp up your annual appeal
Crisis alert. Picture this. You’ve been on your new Development Director job for all of two days when the Executive Director informs you that the organization’s annual appeal should have gone out two weeks ago and urges you to “just doctor up last year’s appeal.” Last year’s appeal sucks. What...
How to build relationships with foundation grant funders
One of the most commonly asked questions I get is “How do I build relationships with foundation grant funders?” It’s a good question because it shows that the asker understands that relationship-building is just as important when it comes to seeking grants as it is in building a sound individual...
One leaflet, 2 volunteers – 285,000 people reached!
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When life gives you lemons make lemonade
One of the many benefits of the #smNPchat on Twitter is the opportunity to meet fellow fundraising professionals throughout the world. During a recent chat on annual appeal writing tips I was delighted to meet Amy Stephan, a St. Louis fundraiser with an inspiring annual appeal story of her own. I’m...
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s FREE!
Can you really still get something for nothing? Thanks to my colleague, Sandy Rees, five of the best professional fundraisers have come together to offer up some fabulous resources just for you! Join me, Sandy, Sherry Truhlar, Lori Jacobwith and Marc Pittman over at the Nonprofit Goodies Giveaway and...
When it comes to Facebook success, “trying” doesn’t cut it
Have you made a commitment to your organization’s fundraising? Or are you relying on the “spray and pray” approach that’s all too common in the nonprofit world? You know what I’m talking about. “Spray and pray” involves taking a bunch of different ‘random’ actions –...
Applications not accepted: Get on their radar!
Foundation Center President Brad Smith notes that “Nearly half of the grantmaker profiles in Foundation Directory Online state, “Applications not accepted”, i.e., these funders do not take unsolicited proposals.” How can you get on their radar? Join us for a live chat at 1:00...
The Pollyanna Principles | An Anniversary Review
You’ve got to accentuate the positive Eliminate the negative And latch on to the affirmative Don’t mess with Mister In-Between You’ve got to spread joy up to the maximum Bring gloom down to the minimum Have faith or pandemonium’s Liable to walk upon the scene Sounds simplistic,...
No Time to Cultivate Young Donors? Ask Your Board & Major Donors to Help!
Don’t spend too much time worrying if you have the right strategy for cultivating Gen X versus Millenials. And definitely don’t spend time brainstorming about the iPhone app for your nonprofit that will do it for you. Think big picture, and focus on the basics. The next generation will become loyal...
Are you playing it safe with your nonprofit communications?
This week I had the highest unsubscribe rate in the year or so history of publishing my weekly enews. Was it due to the fact that I was more than a little wiped out from overwork and hadn’t produced a piece up to my own standards? Or was it (more than likely) due to my noting that the NPR setup spearheaded...
Seven Secrets to Great Nonprofit Leadership
1. The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. RALPH NADER In other words, let your leaders lead. I worked as part of a five-person development team for a large organization for twelve looooong months. During that time period three development directors came and went,...
Nonprofits: The power in an ROI promise
The best nonprofit copywriting, from appeals to web to email, hinge upon emotion. But what happens when you support that emotional pull with logic? The nonprofit that merges emotion with logic creates an irresistible appeal to give. Here are two examples: Charity:Water: $20 can give one person...
