Fundraising

 
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    Beth's Blog

  • This Year Twitter Fundraisers, Next Year FourSquare Fundraisers ....

    Beth
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:26 am
    Today, Pete Cashmore had a piece on CNN "Next Year's Twitter? Foursquare" predicting that FourSquare will be the darling of 2010.FourSquare is a is location-based social network service overlays your Twitter network with an added layer of social gameplay.  FourSquare is a location-based social network to help you connect with friends using GPS via your mobile device.  What's a location-based social network?  For a crude analogy, think about dogs and fire hyrdants or trees or think about ant trails (ants leave behind a scent for other ants to follow the trail back to the ant hole.)…

  • Guest Post by Heather McLeod Grant: MomsRising: What We Can Learn from New Online Models

    Beth
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    As part of our ongoing research project into the future of membership-based advocacy organizations, we’ve been talking to folks from “new” as well as “older” groups focused on issue-organizing. We’re hoping to find out how the nature of civic engagement and mobilization is changing – along with the business models needed to support this kind of work. Our hypothesis is that new technologies such as Web 2.0 are accelerating change in the sector, and that the nature of how we support causes will shift – from writing checks to being more actively engaged, or ultimately doing both.

  • Three Different Approaches to Twitter Fundraising: Bees, Turkeys, and Blame

    Beth
    19 Nov 2009 | 11:21 am
    TweetsGiving 2009 If the dollar amounts from fundraising campaigns using social networks are disappointing, one response is to say this doesn't work and stop doing it.  An alternative approach is to experiment and find ways to improve results.    Twitter for fundraising has been around for two years (read Shel Israel's Twitterville), as of 2009, there seems to be three different tactical models for Twitter fundraising approaches emerging: 1)   Sponsored Tweets/HashTags: Donors do not have to open their own check books, but instead retweet or use a hashtag to leverage a donation from a…

  • GiveMN Raises $14 Million Online in 24 Hours!

    Beth
    19 Nov 2009 | 9:48 am
    I think I want to change Garrison Keillor's well known descriptor of Lake Wobegone.  It goes "Minnesota from"where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." Let's add  "and where the charitable donors are extraordinarily generous." Earlier this week, I wrote about giveMN.org as an example of local and regional online giving initiatives.  GiveMN a new online resource that hopes to encourage more Minnesotans to give and help create a stronger nonprofit community for…

  • WeAreMedia: What's Your Social Content Strategy?

    Beth
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:54 pm
    When we kicked off the WeAreMedia, A Social Media Starter Kit for Nonprofits 18 months ago, we included two areas about content creation.  There was a strategy module that shared best practices in storytelling and a tactical module called "Tell Your Story Social Media Style."   The later focused on how nonprofit could become social content creators, that is how to effectively communicate the organization's story through social media channels like blogs, video, podcasts, and photos.  We also touched on user-generated content, inspiring others to tell your organization's story in their own…
 
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    Fundraiser Insight

  • Promoting Lung Cancer Awareness

    2 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    You might already know that November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. But you might wonder why there are nationwide efforts in support of the fatal disease. Check out these staggering statistics from the National Cancer Institute:Approximately 213,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with lung cancer each year.Over 160,000 Americans die from lung cancer on an annual basis.More people succumb to lung cancer than breast, colon, and prostate cancer combined. This past year, there were 215,020 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed in the United States. As you can see, even though folks are…

  • Kicking Off Football Fundraising Season

    2 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    As the temperature dips, the smell of team spirit and concessions fills the air for another hopeful football season. As those eager young athletes look forward to a season of high school rivalries and championship dreams, they will also need funds to help them start the season off on the right foot.Sports team fundraising efforts are essential for the survival of any school team, be it the soccer team, basketball team, baseball team, or football team. It’s obvious that your number one fundraising supporters will be the parents and family members of your teammates. But you don’t want to…

  • Quick and Simple Fundraisers

    2 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    Fundraising is the lifeblood of many smaller charities and nonprofit organizations. Realistically, they need funds to continue offering free and vital services in your community. But their operations are small, typically made up of a few paid employees and mainly volunteers. They may believe their fundraising efforts are limited. Small charity groups help to build the community, keeping it safe and thriving even in times of despair. Take your local animal shelter, food bank, women’s shelter, or drop-in center—many simply can’t take on large fundraising efforts because they don’t have…

  • Delicious Thanksgiving Fundraisers

    2 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    Why is Thanksgiving a great time for your next fundraising event?Because Thanksgiving is perhaps one of the busiest and most overplanned holidays of the fall season. As you anticipate a long weekend of feasting, family, and fun, an expected drop in temperature enters the scene. With it come cozy sweaters, mugs of hot apple cider, and any excuse to curl up on the couch with a blankie and heart-warming movie. Let’s face it, as fall approaches, the desire to hibernate can take over. Suddenly, mom and dad are cozying up with a good book rather than zipping around town to buy the turkey,…

  • Four Unique Auction Fundraisers

    1 Oct 2009 | 5:00 am
    Auctions are an excellent fundraising method. They appeal to people's competitive nature, while still making them feel as if they're getting a bargain. When someone feels like they're setting the price they pay for an item, rather than being told how much something costs, they're more apt to want to spend that money. Also, feeling like something they may not otherwise be able to afford is within their reach is a potent motivator. An auction fundraiser doesn't have to be a fancy, formal event with priceless works of art or antique goods. You can hold a great event, and raise money for your…
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    Step by Step Fundraising

  • Evaluating Online Donation Service Providers

    Sandra Sims
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:40 am
    There are many companies eager to help you with the task of online donations, from standard credit card processors to those specializing in nonprofits.  So how do you decide which provider is right for you? Here are seven factors for you to consider when choosing an online donation service provider: 1. Features When evaluating service providers first decide on your goals and needs. For example, do you simply need a way to accept one time donations, or are there other options that you require such as: Designated fund giving Monthly giving (automated) Pledging (with a time limit, not open…

  • Blogging for Online Fundraising Success

    Sandra Sims
    12 Nov 2009 | 5:02 am
    Does your nonprofit have a blog?  I recently began a six part series on this topic over at CauseBlogger.com. This series is for anyone interested in promoting an idea or non-commercial message via blogs. Nonprofits, volunteers, activists and collectively those who I call “cause enthusiasts” can all find many benefits in blogging. The truth is, there’s nothing complicated about what a blog is, or what it can do. Here are just a few examples of stories that can be posted to a blog that will help boost your fundraising efforts: Announcements about upcoming fundraising events…

  • How Web Design Can Improve Your Online Fundraising

    Elizabeth Beachy
    9 Nov 2009 | 5:23 am
    A lot of non-profits have online donation pages but complain that they still receive very few donations.  Why?  There are several reasons that could explain the lack of online giving ranging from low traffic to a poorly designed website. In essence, to be effective your entire online communication strategy must be built around increasing donations, which has implications regarding how your website is designed and what information you offer. Below are five keys to online fundraising success.  While some of them sound intuitive, a recent study of non-profit websites found that a surprising…

  • Top 10 Ways to Screw up Your Year-End Fundraising Campaign

    Gail Perry
    4 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    Halloween was this past weekend and we turned deep into the dark side.  Goulies and ghosties walked the streets in my neighborhood. So let’s turn to the dark side of your year-end fundraising campaign – and shine a light on mistakes many organizations make. Here’s my Top 10 list of ways to sabotage your year-end fundraising effort. 1.  Send a letter that’s hard to read, with ponderous sentences, long paragraphs and no white space.  (This fails the “easy to read” test, which is the first hurdle for your reader, who is skimming your prose for the highlights only.) 2.  Send a…

  • Lack of Oversight can Damage Your Nonprofit’s Long-Term Funding & Survival

    Sandra Sims
    2 Nov 2009 | 8:59 am
    Recently Don Griesmann posted a story on his blog that I believe is worth a read.  The organization profiled in the story, Kid Care, began as a labor of love, but ended abruptly after 18 years of service. Its founders were not professionally trained in nonprofit management prior to starting their work.  They simply saw a need and decided to use their gifts to benefit others. They were very trusting and extremely hard-working.  This describes a lot of the people I personally know and have connected with online who are doing charitable work. Learning some lessons from this unfortunate story…
 
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    A Small Change

  • Popular Fundraising Models

    Jason Dick
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    From Penelope Burk to Terry Axelrod, there are a lot of different models and fundraising programs out there. Many development shops base their fundraising programs on one of these models. I’d love to hear back from you on what model you use and what you’ve found to be successful. Donor Centered Fundraising- Penelope Burke: Focuses on personalizing your appeals and proposals to each individual donor. Benevon- Terry Axelrod: Focuses on event fundraising using a tried and true program format. At the center of the event program is a compelling donor story. Using this model, events will be…

  • Getting Started with Social Media Volunteers

    Sean Debutts
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    After working for six months as the social media coordinator at Puget Sound Blood Center, I’ve learned valuable lessons about cultivating a base of social media volunteers. The social media community has an impressive commitment to volunteerism and nonprofit fundraising that. The Blood Center’s own social media volunteers send alerts via Twitter and Facebook during emergency blood shortages, educate friends through blog posts, leverage their social networks to fill blood drives, and donate special skills such as graphics design. Before recruiting your own social media volunteers, be sure…

  • Key Pieces of Database Info

    Jason Dick
    11 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    Earlier this week I talked about the importance of knowing where to put donor information in your database. Today I want to talk about what information I’ve found to be the most inconsistent and, by keeping that data relevant, how much more powerful your database can be. Most of the inaccuracies I find are in simple contact and personal information: addresses, phone numbers, and emails. How many donors have you lost touch with because you don’t have any way to get a hold of them anymore? Have you ever made a follow-up call only to find out the person you’re calling for is now deceased?

  • How Well Do You Know Your Database?

    Jason Dick
    9 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    Every organization I’ve worked for has always had a hard time using their database to capture donor information and keeping it up-to-date. Many will say this is because they don’t have the staffing to properly update the database. But I think that most often staff just don’t understand how it works. Every organization should make sure that they are training their new employees as to where donor information lives in their system. Most databases have multiple ways you can record and keep information and I’ve found that organizations hardly ever do everything the same way. Take 30…

  • How Long to Hold a Lead

    Jason Dick
    4 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    I wrote earlier this week about “What’s a Lead” and today I’m going to talk about responding to these leads. When you come back from an event you attended, what do you do with your leads? Does it take months before any of these people ever hear from you again? I’ve found that people have very short-term memory when you first meet them. There are so many nonprofits, so many networking events, and so many people to meet. If you wait too long, people start to forget who you are. I try to send an email within a day of meeting someone new. That way they still remember who I am, and…
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    Online Fundraising Blog

  • This week’s nonprofit fundraising Best Practice in Action

    Beth Pickard
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    Today we bring you another installment in our weekly series of fundraising Best Practices in Action. Each week, we’ll highlight an organization that has done an incredible job of promoting its online fundraising efforts with FirstGiving and show you how to do the same. This week’s Best Practice is. . . Encourage repeat fundraisers to set their sights higher this year. Not even sub-zero temperatures can stop our friends at Special Olympics Vermont from raising money online for a great cause. Penguin plungers all over the state are gearing up for a chilly winter by setting up…

  • Nonprofit spotlight: Samaritan’s Purse

    Ashley Morrison
    19 Nov 2009 | 8:00 am
    Each month, we highlight a couple of our nonprofit partners who have unique fundraising events, great success stories, or something else fantastic going on that we’d like to tell you about. Next up in our nonprofit spotlight fundraising series is Samaritan’s Purse.  Since 1974 Samaritan’s Purse has followed Jesus parable of The Good Samaritan, by giving to the worlds poor, sick and suffering.  They strive to enrich the lives of chilren by offering clothes, food, medical care, and education. “Our emergency relief programs provide desperately needed assistance to victims…

  • Need an extreme makeover??

    Ashley Morrison
    18 Nov 2009 | 12:42 pm
    We won’t be much help when it comes to  a beauty or house makeover, but is your nonprofit in need of a marketing and computer technology makeover?  If so, we know just the people, Geek Girl. The Extreme Geek Girl Makeover contest is open to any 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in the greater Cape and Island’s area in Massachusetts.  The winner of the contest is entitled to a 1/2 day audit of a  nonprofit marketing and technological structure, a library of useful books, a basket of “geeky” tools, and gift certificates and discounts for business in the area.  What a…

  • This week’s nonprofit fundraising Best Practice in Action

    Beth Pickard
    6 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    Today we bring you another installment in our weekly series of nonprofit fundraising Best Practices in Action. Each week, we’ll highlight an organization that has done an incredible job of promoting its online fundraising efforts with FirstGiving and show you how to do the same. This week’s Best Practice is. . . Tell your supporters about fundraising opportunities on your website. Our friends at the Acumen Fund are rallying their supporters together for a year-end campaign to raise $10,000 by December 31. Together, 10 of their supporters have already raised over $4,000! How did…

  • Scavenger hunt adventure race to benefit local nonprofit

    Beth Pickard
    2 Nov 2009 | 9:37 am
    Looking for a creative nonprofit fundraising event idea?  Our friends at Nutfit have partnered with local nonprofit Action for Boston Community Development for an adventure race this month.  It’s one of the most creative ideas we’ve seen, and it’s for a great cause.  We caught up with James Moore of Nutfit to learn more about the event: Why an adventure race? The reason for the name “adventure race” is because it is an adventure!  The definition of an “adventure” is an activity that comprises risky, uncertain or dangerous experiences.  In this…
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    FundraisingIP

  • Fundraising Through the Holiday Season

    FundraisingIP.com
    17 Nov 2009 | 12:10 pm
    The holiday season represents a special opportunity to maximize fundraising events. By thinking creatively and putting a new spin on old methods, you will attract more volunteers, thereby gathering more donations. The idea is to raise awareness, gather volunteers, communicate regularly and specialize in one fundraising activity that your group does well. Fundraiser kickoff Raise awareness [...] Related posts:Ideas For Holiday Fundraisers

  • Christmas Greenery Fundraiser

    FundraisingIP.com
    17 Nov 2009 | 12:05 pm
    Christmas greenery products are an excellent way to make money for your needy organization.  Christmas greenery is easy to sell and is well-received by customers.  A Christmas greenery sale has all the makings of a highly successful seasonal fundraiser. In order to include and address everyone in your fundraiser, be sure to offer items representative [...] Related posts:Make Money With a Valentine’s Day FundraiserFundraising With ChocolateThe Warm Glow Of Fundraising: Candle Fundraisers

  • Ideas For Holiday Fundraisers

    FundraisingIP.com
    17 Nov 2009 | 11:57 am
    Many religious holidays are celebrated during the winter months, which makes this time of year a great time for fundraising. Whether your potential sponsors and supporters celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah doesn’t matter; decorative items for the home, wrapping paper for presents and items representative of winter make appropriate fundraising items just about anyone will [...] Related posts:Fundraising Through the Holiday SeasonEasy Profits With Stationary FundraisersFundraisers To Raise Funds And Team Spirit

  • Find Free Web Services For Your Non-Profit

    FundraisingIP.com
    15 Nov 2009 | 3:11 am
    Finding free web services for your non-profit fundraising group can be a challenging prospect. Where do you begin? Who do you ask for free services? Will anyone even provide these services for free or at least at a discounted rate? Luckily, there are several resources on the web that bring you into contact [...] Related posts:Grants: Find Free Government And Foundation Money For Your Non-ProfitGoogle Grant: Free Advertising For Non-Profit OrganizationsFree Software For Your Non-Profit

  • Online Cancer Fundraising Campaigns

    FundraisingIP.com
    20 Oct 2009 | 10:27 am
    Following are two more examples of how social media is being used very creatively to raise money for a cause: Blame Drew’s Cancer Fundraising Campaign Fall 2009: Twitterer Drew Olanoff, who is currently being treated for Hodgkin Lymphoma, has started a social media fundraising effort for Lance Armstrong’s LiveStrong campaign. How it all started: When Olanoff realized [...] Related posts:“Tweet To Beat” Social Media Fundraising ExperimentIn The News: Record Profits, Mobile Donations – Using SMS To Raise Funds, New Online Fundraising ServiceSuccessful Online…
 
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    Conor's Fundraising Blog

  • one-third of the online donations could not be processed.

    conorbyrne
    20 Nov 2009 | 6:33 am
    The Non Profit Times reported on an attempts to make donations online. Amergent, in Peabody, Mass., decided to contact 30 Catholic organizations and test their responses to $25 online and offline donations sent out this past June. Amergent wanted to analyze the ease of donating, how organizations cultivated and renewed donors, and what were the differences [...]

  • The 2009 Non Profit Tagline Report

    conorbyrne
    17 Nov 2009 | 4:21 am
    Im a couple of days late with this, but the Non Profit Tagline Report is worth it. This report really is an incredible brainstorming tool for your organisation and ther report is designed to help you shape effective taglines. “A powerful tagline is a must for any nonprofit intent on delivering its message in our overcrowded [...]

  • Do your supporters feel ownership?

    conorbyrne
    13 Nov 2009 | 2:48 am
    I was in a taxi on the way to the airport and the taxi driver was talking to me about his favourite football team. What I found intriguing was the way he referred to the team. He didnt say they or them….it was WE. Everytime he mentioned Arsenal he said WE…like he was the one had [...]

  • Poppy and Legion Live

    conorbyrne
    12 Nov 2009 | 12:38 am
    For some reason…and I dont know why….but The Royal British Legion didnt strick me as an organisation that would be embrassing new media…shame on me. They have launched Legion Live which is being driven by ‘Poppy’, a virtual character who generates content and spreads it through her own blog. LegionLive is a hub for Serving [...]

  • Nominations for Best Christmas Campaign

    conorbyrne
    9 Nov 2009 | 10:52 pm
    I think Christmas brings out some incredibly innovative ideas in charities. Years ago the Christmas pin or badge was the big thing, recently its the Christmas gift list. Well this year I’m setting out to find the most innovative and creative Christmas campaign. It can be a new twist on an old idea, an old idea [...]
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    Fundraising Coach

  • Tweetsgiving is almost here!

    Marc A. Pitman
    19 Nov 2009 | 3:56 am
    What happens when techie people decide to express their gratitude during Thanksgiving? TweetsGiving of course! Will you join me in tweeting your gratitude? You can find out all about it at: http://tweetsgiving.org/. Be sure to click on the “join us” link. But hurry, TweetsGiving is only November 24-26! (c) Marc A. Pitman, FundraisingCoach.com Learn how you can set up a brand new fundraising program, or re-tool your existing fundraising, to raise serious money for your cause. Purchase this full-day fundraising seminar you can download right to your desk and start learning today!

  • Fundraising warning: Don’t limit your fishing to the smallest pond

    Marc A. Pitman
    17 Nov 2009 | 3:15 am
    Within the last couple weeks, there was an article about another nonprofit closing. Reading the article, I saw an incredibly common fundraising myth perpetuated. The myth sounds goes something like this: if we only had more businesses and foundation grants, then our funding challenges would be over. Check this quote out: “You really need more corporate-type sponsors and more grants, and those are very difficult things to get when you know you’re running on a bare minimum to begin with,” Pellerin said. Despite GivingUSA’s reporting year after year, apparently one of the…

  • Facebook Marketing advice in the NYT

    Marc A. Pitman
    16 Nov 2009 | 5:11 pm
    Waterville’s amazing librarian, Sarah Sugden passed on this terrific article from the New York Times, How to Market Your Business With Facebook. It’s well worth reading for nonprofits too. For instance, take this great advice: Some basic rules: Buy-buy-buy messages won’t fly. The best practitioners make Facebook less about selling and more about interacting. Engage with fans and critics. Listen to what people are saying, good and bad. You may even pick up ideas for how to improve your business. Keep content fresh. Use status updates and newsfeeds to tell fans about specials,…

  • Fundraising oddity: Bet you’ve never seen THIS before!

    Marc A. Pitman
    12 Nov 2009 | 7:09 pm
    Earlier this week, I walked into an office here at Inland Hospital and saw this. After being a bit grossed out, I read that it was one way this office was collecting for our hospital’s United Way drive. Being the geek I am, I decided to run a photo caption contest by posting this picture to TwitPic and Facebook. I have some very funny friends. Here are their responses: My Twitter Friends @kimberlylauth: The AMA is investigating the cause of Donald Trumps unusual kidney stones. @sandrasims: Pennies for Prostrates. @melmatho: Gotta give, gotta give, gotta give right now……

  • Hospitals helping Fort Hood Casualties

    Marc A. Pitman
    7 Nov 2009 | 9:07 am
    One of the privileges of working in philanthropy is seeing people rise to the challenge when tragedy strikes. Yesterday, this email came across an email list for those of us involved in AHP, the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. Neil gave me permission to share it on my blog: AHP Colleagues: Please remember those who lost lives and were injured in yesterday’s massacre at Fort Hood. Most of the injured were brought here to Scott & White. The public has responded dramatically to give blood and in other ways. So many showed up at our blood bank yesterday afternoon that many…
 
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    Donor Power Blog

  • Fundraising and the Essence of TIME

    DonorPower Blog
    19 Nov 2009 | 4:33 pm
      Technology … what in the world would we do without it? As fundraisers, it’s supposed to make our jobs easier. It gives us more options for communicating with our constituents and for storing more “pertinent” information on their behaviors and motivations.     The truth, however, is that technology has made our jobs much more difficult, and quite frankly, I’m not so sure it’s made our industry better. As marketers and fundraisers, we now spend more time analyzing data and trying to predict consumer behavior than we do raising…

  • Fewer Gifts Expected This Holiday Season

    DonorPower Blog
    16 Nov 2009 | 11:23 am
    Some of the largest U.S. charities are bracing themselves for a disappointing Christmas this year, according to a new Harris Interactive survey being released today.   The study, which was commissioned by World Vision, found that less than 40% of Americans expect to give a charitable donation as a holiday gift this year, compared with nearly 50% last year.   While this is concerning news to all charities, it’s particularly worrisome to those that rely heavily on holiday and year-end gift giving. With only seven weeks left in 2009, there is little time to react or respond…

  • A Name to Remember

    DonorPower Blog
    12 Nov 2009 | 12:52 pm
    Do you know SOFII like I know SOFII? If not, you might want to check her out.    I was first introduced to SOFII by Tony Elischer, managing director of a UK fundraising agency called Think Consulting Services.  For me, it was love at first sight.      SOFII is a “Museum of Fundraising”— a smorgasbord of fundraising innovation, creativity and excellence.  You’ll find more than 200 of the world’s most successful fundraising case studies in SOFII, as well as countless tips that you can use each and every day.  She’ll show you new tricks…

  • LAPSED IN TRANSLATION

    DonorPower Blog
    5 Nov 2009 | 7:06 am
    Two things irritate me more than anything as a donor. First, fail to thank me promptly. Second, imply, even in gentle terms, that my continued support is overdue or inactive when in my mind it is not.   As a fundraising professional, like most, I am diligent about ensuring the former. There is no excuse, ever, for a donor not to be thanked promptly and sincerely. But I am struck how quickly the fundraising industry as a whole is guilty of the latter. Perhaps this is because it is common, within the discipline of list segmentation, to label donors who have not given in a prescribed…

  • The Myth of Mad Men, Part 2

    DonorPower Blog
    2 Nov 2009 | 3:29 pm
    Unlike the days of Mad Men, today’s Great DM Agencies employ direct marketing professionals who happen to have an area of expertise. The expertise is a focus, but the larger understanding makes the focus relevant and successful.   Creative solutions begin with knowledge – perhaps it is historical performance data, perhaps research—and seek to implement larger strategies, which have been designed to achieve still larger objectives.   The creative director who doesn’t understand the objective, and hasn’t collaborated on strategy, cannot effectively lead a creative solution…
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    Blue Sky Collaborative

  • New a-thon ideas for nonprofit organizations

    blueskycollaborative
    16 Nov 2009 | 8:36 am
    Every year around this time we hear from more organizations that are looking for pledge fundraising software for their events. This year organizations are getting very creative. We're still getting our share of walk-a-thons, and bike rides. But this year...

  • Top 5 Things to Consider When Choosing Walkathon and Pledge Event Software

    blueskycollaborative
    9 Nov 2009 | 7:29 am
    We've had so much activity in the past few weeks from people looking for software for their pledge events. The bump in activity probably coincides with budgets being refreshed in the new fiscal year and the beginning of planning cycles...

  • Video: Bike for The Heart Raises $300,000 for For Women's Heart Health

    blueskycollaborative
    29 Oct 2009 | 7:29 am
    Sister to Sister, www.sistertosister.org, recently held a fantastic event called Bike for the Heart. I wrote about what made it awesome here - http://blueskycollaborative.typepad.com/blog/2009/10/charity-bike-ride-raises-over-300k-for-sister-to-sister.html Here's a nice vid from the event. Hopefully, those of you who are trying to organize...

  • The Most Important Factor in Having a Successful Pledge Event

    blueskycollaborative
    28 Oct 2009 | 9:56 am
    Give your fundraisers at least 3 months to raise money. This applies to walk-a-thons, bike-a-thons, marathons and any other type of athon or pledge event. Let's face it. The economy is a little scary and many nonprofits are scrambling to...

  • Habitat For Humanity Build-a-thon Raises $100,000

    blueskycollaborative
    22 Oct 2009 | 7:59 am
    Habitat for Humanity Chapters in East King County and Seattle/South King County collaborated on a Build-a-thon that raised nearly $100,000 to build homes in 8 different location in King County, WA Habitat’s goal was to raise $100,000 – enough to...
 
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    CharityFocus.org

  • Gameshows, Quizzes and Sing-a-Long Songs with Elderly Folks at a Nursing Home in London

    Aditi Khimasia
    19 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    Last Saturday, a small group of us had a fantastic time volunteering at an old people’s home in South London called Woodlands House.  It was a lovely home with about 60 residents, most of whom had Alzheimer’s or Dementia.  We were planning to spend the morning doing some activities with the residents including a ‘pub quiz’, a game of ‘family fortunes’ and a sing-a-long of some songs from the good old days ;-)  We had also taken along some treats for a small tea party.  When we first got there, a lot of the residents seemed…

  • Why Everyone Can Now Be a ChangeMaker

    Nipun Mehta
    16 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    Bill Drayton, founder of Ashoka and a person who coined the phrase 'social entrepreneur', recently shared a historical analysis of why he thinks everyone can now be a changemaker: The agricultural revolution produced only a small surplus, so only a small elite could move into the towns to create culture and conscious history. This pattern has persisted ever since: only a few have held the monopoly on initiative because they alone have had the social tools. That is one reason that per capita income in the West remained flat from the fall of the Roman Empire until about 1700. By 1700, however,…

  • Don't Curse Darkness, Light a Candle

    Somik Raha
    12 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    The work of CharityFocus in encouraging the Gift Economy has been nothing short of phenomenal. People read about it and get deeply moved to do something for someone without any expectations, thus turning the wheel of "dharma" in their own heart. However, there is also a great danger of misunderstanding these ideas. At a 10-day meditation retreat earlier this year, as time slowed by orders of magnitude, it became clear to me how this misunderstanding happens. Why is it so difficult to see? My first example is from the 10-day retreat itself. The retreat operates on a gift economy…

  • Sharing Gratitude for Anonymous Gifts

    Trishna Shah
    9 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    As Nipun recently said in an email, most CF people love to give gifts :)  And, we especially love to tag people anonymously!  Wouldn't it be neat if we had a little way to offer the recipient of the gift the opportunity to share their reactions, thoughts, gratitude?  I think it would be lovely, as I know how much I'd love to share my own gratitude when I've been tagged anonymously. Well, that's just what happened to us in London recently - totally organically, without any form or mechanism in place :)  You might recall a month back I had shared a story about how a few of…

  • A Few Generous Days in New England

    Nipun Mehta
    2 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    "We're 14 chefs.  I like this idea of doing small acts of kindness.  Do you think we can do something?" a young man asked me, after a talk.  "Why don't you cook up a full-out meal, and anonymously start gifting each other's parents and family members?"  He liked the idea and is soon to implement it. Service is ultimately about planting trees under whose shade you don't expect to sit.  And the motivation for doing such acts is predicated on the awareness of receiving that shade for seeds planted by our forefathers.    That whole cycle…
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    Fundraising Breakthroughs

  • Building Charismatic Organizations

    27 Oct 2009 | 8:24 am
    Last night, I finished reading Shirley Sagawa's book on building magnetic nonprofits. Lots of underlining and sticky notes! Here is one paragraph that sung out to me as particularly perfect in two projects ChangeMatters is working on now (a major gifts, including storytelling, workshop and an arts organization turnaround). How compelling, how inviting, how engaging are we?“If you have done your job right, the gravitational pull of your organization—its people, purpose, plan, and proof—has convinced your audience that they want to help. It’s at this point that you much challenge…

  • Grammar Girl to the Rescue!

    21 Oct 2009 | 7:11 pm
    Are you trying to persuade or convince a funder to give you a grant? In her latest podcast, Grammar Girl has the answer. (Note: I'm late to the iPod era and have been searching for fun and educational podcasts to follow, although you can simply listen to her episodes on your computer.)Sometimes in the rush to meet proposal deadlines, grammar and style checks can go out the window. However, it is this very polish that can help set your submission apart from the others. At stake is clarity. Make it easy for the funder to understand your concepts and program design. You also never know if…

  • The Department of Education's Investing in Innovation Fund

    7 Oct 2009 | 6:05 am
    Hey, all you schools and education nonprofits, The New York Times reported yesterday about the DOE's upcoming grants for innovation. See excerpts below:The federal Department of Education sketched out a new nationwide competition on Tuesday under which some 2,700 school districts and nonprofit groups are expected to compete for pieces of a $650 million innovation fund.Federal officials said the Investing in Innovation Fund would be distributed in three categories. Small development grants of up to $5 million will support new, unproven ideas that seem worth exploring, they said. Validation…

  • Explaining Social Media

    29 Sep 2009 | 10:44 am
    Thanks to the folks at Digital Wagon Train for highlighting this presentation on social media. Let me know if you present it at your next board meeting.What the F**K is Social Media: One Year LaterView more documents from Marta Kagan.

  • Principles for Nonprofit Boards

    4 Sep 2009 | 6:58 am
    Over the last few weeks, I've been working with the board of a nonprofit arts center to develop a fresh committee structure. Best texts for this have been David LaPiana's article for Board Cafe, "Why Boards Should Only Have Three Committees;" Jonathan D. Schick's book, "The Nonprofit Secret," (particularly the six principles of successful board/CEO partnerships). Key principles and guidelines for nonprofit boards: 1.The board creates committees to help accomplish our own job, not the Executive Director’s job. 2.We focus on governance, not management. In general, this means that the board…
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    Top School Fundraisers

  • 8 Tips from an Experienced School Carnival Organizer

    Jim Berigan
    10 Nov 2009 | 8:00 am
    Recently, I had a wonderful conversation with Barbara Rypkema, who is the organizer of the PTO Carnival for the Tomahawk Elementary School in Lynchburg, Virginia. We spoke for over an hour, and I learned a great deal from her. Below, I have listed eight of the best tips she shared with me for running a carnival that makes a lot of money. If you would like to see an excellent example of a website set up just for a school carnival, check out their site here. Here are a few of the ideas I picked up from our interview: 1. Use older students in the school to promote the carnival to younger…

  • How to boost the sales of your cookie dough fundraiser sale

    Angela Costas
    8 Oct 2009 | 8:15 am
    Let your sellers and supporters know ahead of time about the sale. Make sure they know how much their support is appreciated. Create specific goals for the fundraiser. How much money needs to be raised? How many tubs per person will need to be sold to reach this goal? Set a reasonable time limit for getting all the orders in from participants. Offer prizes for participants who sell the minimum amount. Create a “challenge” to motivate your sellers. Take the catalogs to work. If your organization is short the minimum order, the group can fund the difference and sell them later. Use…

  • Discounted Magazine Subscriptions as a Fundraiser

    Angela Costas
    5 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am
    Offer discounted magazine subscriptions to people who would like to support your school or other group. Parents, families and students just go online to order their favorite magazines and 40% goes to the school. These magazines are all offered at discounted prices – up to 95% off newsstand prices – so it’s a great deal for everyone. Parents or students simply enter email addresses of friends and family into the online system.  A personalized email is then automatically sent out inviting them to order magazines through your group’s customized website. The magazine…

  • 5 Reasons Why a Golf Tournament Can Benefit your School

    Jim Berigan
    28 Sep 2009 | 8:38 am
    Many nonprofit organizations host golf tournaments to raise funds, but it’s not as common with public or even private schools.  Why?  A golf tournament can be a significant fundraiser for your school so I would strongly recommend considering one. Here are five really good reasons to consider hosting a golf event, or partnering with another organization to plan a golf outing. 1. The Earning Potential is High The first reason your school should have a golf outing is that these events are money makers, if they are done right. Here’s a list of eleven ways you can earn money at a…

  • School Halloween Carnival Game Ideas

    Angela Costas
    10 Sep 2009 | 12:14 pm
    When planning a school Halloween carnival it’s important to include lots of fun games for the kids to play. Playing games, competitions and winning prizes make the event so much fun for the students. Many times each grade or class will have their own game booth. The game idea that your group picks should be age appropriate. There are a wide variety of game ideas that are good for each age level. There are some games that students will expect to see each year, such as the bean bag toss. Be sure to include the most popular games that your school carnival had last year. Students also like…
 
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    Too Busy to Fundraise

  • The Right Words

    19 Nov 2009 | 5:44 pm
    In five years, where does your organization want to be? That’s a question every nonprofit should be able to answer, but I suspect that for most, if they’ve considered the question at all, the answers they’ve come up with are sketchy at best.It’s not that these organizations don’t have the ability to envision, or the desire to plan. They do but so many of us are completely focused on keeping our heads above water and getting to land that we don’t bother to think about which part of the beach we’d like to land on. Fundraising ends up being a lot like that, too. We may consider how…

  • The Blame Game

    11 Nov 2009 | 6:50 am
    If I can blame you for all my problems, then I don’t have to face facts or—heaven forefend—reality. Kids do that a lot. It’s not my fault, they say, as if that solved anything. But kids grow up and we can hope that in growing up, they learn to take responsibility.What about organizations? What happens when the organizational culture is one of pointing fingers rather than finding real solutions? Of refusing to accept culpability for bad or even neutral things? Pointing fingers can wear many different guises. The organization who “can’t fundraise” because they “don’t have…

  • Here We Go Again

    4 Nov 2009 | 7:01 am
    Edward and Marcia Dawson have made incomes commensurate with those of Wall Street bankers. They are, however, not bankers but the founders of Social Vocation Services, a nonprofit social-service organization in California. Personally, I don’t care how much money Mr. and Mrs. Dawson have made. But they seem to have done it in not such an ethical manner. That will give a certain group of people the ability to say, “Aha! Those nonprofits—they are just not trustworthy.” And that I do care about.Nonprofits, it seems to me, get tarred with two sides of the same brush. First we are told we…

  • Finding the Right Who

    27 Oct 2009 | 2:22 pm
    Maybe it’s the season. Or perhaps it is the economy. Whatever, a number of my friends, acquaintances and clients are in the market for development staff. ”Can you recommend someone?” is the way the email generally goes. Well, yeah, but first I have to know what you are actually looking for. More to the point, you have to have what you are looking for. And no, it’s not just “someone to raise money.” I’ve been reading Who by Geoff Smart and Randy Street, a book just about this topic. Like too many books of its kind, Who is a great magazine article masquerading as a book. That…

  • Control Freaks Anonymous

    21 Oct 2009 | 11:29 am
    There always seems to be one at every organization. Typically, it’s a manager, often the CEO. At a nonprofit, it frequently is a Board Member. Heck, once I had a secretary who fit the profile perfectly.I am, perhaps not so obviously, talking about the person who has to control everything that goes anywhere near them. These are the people who are so busy working, they frequently don’t get anything done. And they certainly don’t allow anyone around them to accomplish their work.If this is you, stop. Take a deep breath. Look around. There are competent people there who could be doing a…
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    Nolo's Fundraising Tips

  • Benefit for Breast Cancer Brings Out Human Selfishness -- And Decency

    10 Nov 2009 | 4:07 pm
    I don't usually follow the sports news -- much less point other people to it -- but you've got to check out this article by Rick Reilly, of ESPN Magazine.It's about a curmedgeonly lawyer named Alfred G. Rava who attended an A's game to benefit breast cancer causes, at which women were offered free mammgrams and floppy plaid sun hats. When Rava didn't get a hat (because he's a man), he sued. I wish I could offer some words of wisdom about how to avoid such situations, but complainers like this guy are hard to anticipate.In the meantime, comfort can be drawn from Reilly's report that other A's…

  • Fundraising Kudos to: The Nature Conservancy

    5 Nov 2009 | 8:22 am
    I'm always on the lookout for a good way to convey the notion of "planned giving" to your donors. It's hard to find a middle ground between vague, circular statements like, "Plan a planned gift today!" and overly direct statements like, "At least leave us something when you die!"That's why I was impressed by a recent ad in Nature Conservancy Magazine, which displayed a number of gorgeous landscape and animal photos, and read:THEY'RE MORE THAN PLACES OF LIFE AND BEAUTYTHEY'RE YOUR LEGACY IF YOU WILL ITClever, huh? And the "If you will it" was in orange (which unfortunately I don't know how to…

  • Fundraisers' Must-See: The Simpsons, November 15

    29 Oct 2009 | 1:57 pm
    It was only a matter of time before Marge posed nude for a charity calendar, right? Don't miss it, November 15th. The episode is called "The Devil Wears Nada." 

  • Donor Motivations: New Study Out

    27 Oct 2009 | 4:40 pm
    I'm getting weary of studies that tell us what we already know: donor giving is down, foundations have less money than ever, and so forth.But now, there's a recent study that helps nonprofits actually do something about their need to raise funds: It's from the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, and apparently for the first time, has correlated motivations for giving to income and education levels. It found, to quote their press release, that:Among lower-income donors (income less than $50,000), the phrases that resonated as a motivation for giving were helping to meet basic needs…

  • Could Cash Donations Carry Swine Flu?

    16 Oct 2009 | 2:49 pm
    Sorry, couldn't resist the alarmist title. Or reading this article on MSN.com about whether paper money can carry flu germs. Turns out, it can. Of course, I'd never suggest that you turn away cash donations. Instead, how about suggesting to donors that now's the time to get rid of all that germ-infested money!
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    UK Fundraising

  • My surefire solution to ensuring there are fewer Children in Need

    katehiggins
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:58 am
    For years, the annual Children in Need malarkey has annoyed me - nope I am not even going to give it a link. read more »

  • Anatomy of a Twitter hashtag campaign for university fundraising

    howardlake
    18 Nov 2009 | 3:15 am
    Yesterday saw an experiment to see how effective a campaign to promote giving to UK universities could be using Twitter hashtags (shared keywords). read more »

  • Building your personal social capital

    kevin baughen
    18 Nov 2009 | 2:49 am
    According to Wikipedia, social capital is: "a sociological concept used in business, economics, organizational behaviour, political science, public health and the social sciences in general to refer to connections within and between social networks.... variety of definitions share the core idea "that social networks have value. Just as a screwdriver (physical capital) or a college education (human capital) can increase productivity (both individual and collective), so do social contacts affect the productivity of individuals and groups" read more »

  • Gift Aid reclaim period reduction is just months away

    guest_blogger
    18 Nov 2009 | 2:38 am
    It is common knowledge that Gift Aid has regrettably not been the success hoped for when the new version was introduced in 2000 by the then Chancellor, Gordon Brown MP. read more »

  • Knowing who to call

    gordonmichie
    18 Nov 2009 | 2:02 am
    There is a mind-boggling array of requirements for telephone fundraising as summarised in this week’s telephone fundraising feature by Kaye Wiggins in Third Sector magazine: http://www.thirdsector.c read more »
 
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    Who Really gives a Toss?

  • Giving Words

    20 Nov 2009 | 5:27 am
    As WJR (currently waist-deep in donations) have discovered, when you ask for more than money, you get more of everything.

  • If it's nice, do it twice...

    9 Nov 2009 | 6:05 am

  • Get Packing

    2 Nov 2009 | 3:37 pm
    This week marks the end of a very special campaign in North London - Operation Winter Survival. A campaign that has seen thousands of people donate warm clothes, toiletries and children's toys to communities across Eastern Europe.We went to help out. That's Mark folding a lovely pair of trousers. The day was great fun. People laughed, mainly at me. I got the bag of big (actually they were huge) bras – oh the joy.All day, volunteers arrived at an enormous warehouse stacked to the ceiling with donated goods. Each bag carefully opened, sorted and neatly packed ready for dispatch.It was earlier…

  • I'm sure you've seen it but...

    27 Oct 2009 | 7:25 am

  • Didn't we have a blog?

    13 Oct 2009 | 9:46 am
    I think James was hinting at something when he shouted this across the office this morning. But we have been a tad busy recently – doing planning and a mountain of creative for one mighty big campaign.Yesterday saw the launch of Action for Children's appeal to get the nation to take action for the 1.5 million children who wake up every day to experience neglect.Over the past few months we've met the staff on the front line who work with these kids and heard stories that tear your heart out – like Katie who was spat on at school because she didn't get a bath at home and 5 year old Ellie…
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    WordPress Tag: Fundraising

  • Exiles Harry McNally T-Shirts on sale now!!

    Rob Ashcroft
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:36 pm
    Chester City Exiles are selling limited edition Harry McNally t-shirts to raise funds for City Fans United. The iconic picture was taken by professional photographer and Exiles member, Giles Park, for Match of the Day magazine.  Together with Harry’s quotation “Professional football is all about pain”, it sums up the suffering, pride and passion that being a Chester Fan is all about. To mark the launch of CFU, the Exiles have produced a limited edition T-shirt. Priced £10 (12.50 inc p&p). The shirt comes in either White, Sky Blue or Heather Grey and are available in the following…

  • Parents Night Out - Dec. 4th

    volunteeroffice
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:26 pm
    The last Parent’s Night Out event is December 4th.  While you enjoy a date night or just a quiet evening alone, your kids will enjoy dinner, games and a movie!  PNO is run by the John Hay 5th graders and their parents to raise money for Camp Islandwood.  Time is 6-10pm and costs $30 for one child or $40 per family.  Sign up now for the December 4th event.  Questions?  Call the Volunteer Office at 252-2108.

  • NY-23 drains congressional campaign committees

    fhardingj
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:53 am
    Washington (CNN) – Call it the New York-23 effect: Both the Democratic and Republican congressional re-election committees spent more money than they took in last month. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reported Thursday that it raised $3.76 million in October, but spent $3.98 million. A similar story from the National Republican Congressional Committee, which said it brought in $3.4 million last month, but spent $3.6 million. So where did the money go? Both committees infused campaign cash into the special election in New York’s 23rd congressional district. The…

  • Ill, Poorly, Sick, Unwell..

    Rosanna
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:21 am
    Ill, Poorly, Sick, Unwell.. You name it, I am. I don’t think I’ve done a proper run in nearly a month, not because I’ve been slacking off, but because I have genuinely been ill since then. This sort of thing keeps on happening to me – I have a great immune system normally, then a nasty virus of some description gets under my skin and I can’t shake it off and I have low grade fevers and a cough. It’s happened twice before in the last few years. Add to that my neck is still sore and it hurts to turn my head and I am not 100% one bit. There’s no way…

  • Black Friday Gives Back: The Black Friday Giving Campaign

    kristiyork
    20 Nov 2009 | 10:08 am
    This holiday season: Take a stand against useless spending! Instead of taking all your hard-earned cash to the mall for useless nic-nacs and fuzzy sweaters that no one ever wears, give a gift that gives back! Join Sustenance Group’s BLACK FRIDAY GIVING CAMPAIGN and kickstart the holiday shopping season NOW with a gift that makes a real impact! Join us on Twitter and Facebook and help spread the word! Click here to donate to organizations that empower families to lift themselves out of poverty, gain access to clean water and medical care, fight injustice and recover from violence.
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    Featured Blog Posts - Social Actions

  • “Does microlending fight poverty?” – Wrong Question To Ask

    Sylvia Ng
    This is a cross-post from charitychamps.wordpress.com On this blog I’ve written two previous posts on microfinance (also known as microcredit or microlending) and its effects. Well the debate regarding whether microlending solves poverty still rages on, and this month, the Boston Globe published a fairly extensive article containing much supporting material that concludes microfinance doesn’t actually do much to alleviate poverty. If you’re interested in the subject I would definitely recommend you read the article; while it doesn’t include ideas that are entirely new, it does quote…

  • Colorado Rocky Mountain School junior inspires student body with FACE AIDS presentation

    Terence Washington
    This blog is from the Colorado Rocky Mountain School's Blog "The fight for health as a human right, a fight with real promise, has so far been plagued by failures. Failure because we are chronically short of resources. Failure because we are too often at the mercy of those with the power and money to decide the fates of hundreds of millions. Failure because ill health, as we have learned again and again, is more often than not a symptom of poverty and violence and inequality." In a recent "This I believe" archive Dr. Paul Farmer one of the founders of Partners in Health spoke to the notion…

  • Fab Lab and Do-It-Yourself Infrastructure Building

    Elliot Harmon
    Originally posted on the TechSoup Blog. Here's a photo of a directional antenna that can transmit Wi-Fi Internet several miles. Anyone can build one with materials from a hardware store; you can even download the blueprint online for free. Over the past 18 months or so, the antennas have been appearing around Jalalabad, a former Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan. Of the ways in which it differs from a traditional wireless access point, the most profound is that it lacks an electronics company logo. It wasn't created by a government either, but it could become the new symbol of infrastructure…

  • One Woman Creates Initiative to Feed Kenyans with Back Pack Farming

    Jennifer Simckowitz
    This is a cross post from AllVoices Rachel Zedeck thought a back pack could feed a Kenyan family for months. She made this thought a reality through her Back Pack Farm program. As a life-long humanitarian dedicated to helping people, Rachel extended her commitment by settling in Africa and helping the native people of Kenya. In 2009, Rachel launched The Back Pack Farm initiative not only as a way to change the way Kenyans handle food production, an effort to put food in their mouths instead of selling it, but also as a way to help farmers learn eco-friendly and sustainable methods that help…

  • Give the Gift of Sight this Christmas

    Fred Smith
    If you're struggling with your Christmas shopping this year take a look at the range of gifts on offer at our online gift shop www.giftofsight.co.uk The Sightsavers' gift list gives you a great opportunity to buy your friends and loved ones a fantastic present which could have a huge impact on someone's life in the developing world. This year we've tried to get into the Christmas spirit and made a festive video to help promote the Gift of Sight, you can watch it here. There are 45 million blind people in the world, and 75% of this can be avoided. We work to prevent blindness in over 30…
 
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    Get Fully Funded Blog

  • What you believe becomes your reality

    Sandy
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:17 am
    I heard someone say recently that they want to participate in a training, but they can’t afford it.  Sigh.  Get ready, I’m getting on my soap box! I understand that some of you live and breathe by your budget.  Most of the time that’s a great thing.  But it can be very limiting.  And it can hold you back.  (A budget is a guideline by the way, and not chiseled in stone.) Take this to heart:  Whatever you believe becomes your reality. If you believe you can’t afford something, it becomes real.  Your limited negative thinking will actually repel money. …

  • Monday Motivation

    Sandy
    16 Nov 2009 | 7:14 pm
    Hope this perks you up the way it does me! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne7fPpxAnuM

  • Want to hear how to get more done in a day?

    Sandy
    14 Nov 2009 | 9:29 am
    I’m leading a no-cost teleseminar next week with my colleague Peggy Jarrett and you’re invited!  Here are the details:  What: teleseminar- How to Make Time Work FOR You When: Tuesday, Nov 17, 2009, 4:00 -5:00 pm eastern Why: to help YOU! Cost: nothing! Register: http://getfullyfunded.com/end-of-year-fundraising-teleconference  If you can’t make it on Tuesday, go ahead and register and I’ll send you a link to the recording. 

  • How your ears help raise money

    Sandy
    13 Nov 2009 | 9:15 am
    There’s an ad in the new issue of Fundraising Success magazine that caught my eye.  It says “Listening is the new fundraising.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve known listening was important for years. When it comes to building relationships, which is what fundraising is all about, listening is key.   One of the most important skills you can develop as a Fundraiser is your ability to listen well.  Whether you’re talking with donors, volunteers, or co-workers, being able to hear what someone else is saying is a skill that takes a moment to learn and a long…

  • 2009 Guide Shows Nonprofits Top Tagline Approaches for Stronger Messaging

    Sandy
    12 Nov 2009 | 7:33 am
    My friend Nancy Schwartz has released her new report designed to guide nonprofit organizations to shape effective taglines for their organizations.                                  Nancy says “a powerful tagline is a must for any nonprofit intent on delivering its message in our overcrowded world of 24/7 content.”   A 2008 survey of nonprofits showed that 7 in 10 nonprofits rated their tagline as poor or didn’t use one at all. Schwartz says the majority of nonprofits not using a tagline indicated that they had not thought about it or couldn’t come up…
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    Jewish Donor Blog

  • The Push-And-Pull Within Jewish Philanthropy

    Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin
    18 Nov 2009 | 11:17 am
    by Gary Rosenblatt Editor and Publisher at The Jewish Week One of the fascinating dynamics in American Jewish life today involves the complex and evolving relationship among three key groups: the... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.

  • Startup Nation

    Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin
    8 Nov 2009 | 5:12 am
    That headline, believe it or not, refers to Israel, and also serves as the title of a new book by Dan Senor and Saul Singer. Start Up Nation address the trillion dollar question: How is it that... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.

  • New York Jewish Federation raises $43m.

    Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin
    4 Nov 2009 | 6:13 am
    By JAMIE ROMM JerusalemPost.com11.3.09 "The UJA-Federation of New York raised $43 million at its annual campaign kickoff last week, funding that will go toward Jewish families in need throughout the... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.

  • A Walk in the Woods can Make you a Better...

    Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin
    29 Oct 2009 | 8:14 am
    What would inspire someone to be a better fundraiser/CEO/Salesperson, etc.? How about a walk in the woods? If you need to re-charge the old battery and get the creative & inspirational juices... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.

  • Congratulations to.... us!

    Yoav Kaufman and David Rubin
    27 Oct 2009 | 8:42 am
    A hearty congrats and a big mazal tov to the Jewish Donor blog and all its contributors for reaching the 300 post mark!With well over 10,000 page views and 15,000 clicks, the Jewish Donor Blog has... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more.
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    Pamela's Grantwriting Blog

  • 5 Down & Dirty Tips to Ramp up Your End-of-Year Appeal

    Pamela Grow
    11 Nov 2009 | 6:03 am
    It’s already November, and, if you’re working for an understaffed agency with too much to do and not enough time or resources, think twice before you regurgitate last year’s annual appeal letter and call it a day. First off, ask yourself a few questions: Will you be mailing out your letters in-house or using a mail house? If you’re using a mail house, what is their timeframe for getting the appeal out within your time frame? Will you be segmenting your mailing? By that I mean will you be mailing the same appeal to your board members as to your donors? Who will be signing the…

  • 6 Benefits of Using Twitter for Nonprofit

    Pamela Grow
    10 Nov 2009 | 3:57 am
    “Why should we?” “Twitter is just a bunch of noise about people eating lunch.” “Our customers aren’t online.” “We already have a website.” Sound familiar?  There are plenty of reasons to avoid social media, it seems.  It is true that there are a zillion time-wasting testimonials out there, and a plethora of pundits sharing little, if any, value to organizations and the causes they represent. I work for a non-profit think tank. We’re tiny, but we’re smart.  With limited human resources, we have to constantly punch above our weight and consider smarter ways of doing…

  • Fundraising Fun? You Betcha!

    Pamela Grow
    29 Oct 2009 | 8:21 am
    Nonprofit blogger and Twitterer, Marc Pitman, recently twitted that “many see fundraising as an evil, a necessary evil but evil nonetheless.” I couldn’t agree more and, frankly, I just don’t get it! Fundraising is challenging, it’s people-centered, it’s constantly learning and evolving, it’s creative – fundraising is FUN! So why is it that so many nonprofit organizations, who have that unbridled passion for their mission, look with fear – or even disdain -upon the very work that funds their mission? Is part of the problem that…

  • October 19, 2009 – Simple Tip of the Day

    Pamela Grow
    19 Oct 2009 | 3:59 pm
    Recently one of my client’s board members celebrated her birthday in style – in lieu of gifts, she requested that donations be made to her favorite charity. We publicly thanked her – on Twitter, Facebook and in our quarterly newsletter. If you’ve received a unique gift from one of your donors, make it a point to advertise it … you’ll stimulate other donors’ creative thought processes! Social Bookmarking

  • Nonprofits and Employee Attrition – The Truth Hurts

    Pamela Grow
    14 Oct 2009 | 4:23 am
    This unedited ad recently appeared, seeking a “Development Associate” for a local nonprofit organization. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 1) Development Office assistance • manage donor/gift records including processing gifts and reconciling with business office, receipting gifts and producing acknowledgments to donors • organize mail appeals several times a year including supervising volunteer crews if needed • provide database information for telephone solicitation as needed • prepare and distribute a variety of development reports as needed • maintain accurate and complete donor…
 
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    Big Thinking on Small Grants

  • A Reminder about the Power of Relationships

    Janis Foster Richardson
    18 Nov 2009 | 5:37 pm
    I'm sharing a wonderful 2-minute video, Be That Woman, that the Washington Area Women's Foundation recently shared in an email.  While the Washington Area Women's Foundation developed this video to help demonstrate the importance of investing in women and girls, I see a message here as well for place-based funders who are engaged in grassroots grantmaking - with its simple yet moving message about the power of relationships.  Grassroots grantmaking is inherently a relationship business, isn't it?  At its core, it's about investing in the power of…

  • Real Time Relationship Building

    Janis Foster Richardson
    9 Nov 2009 | 10:49 am
    I just completed the rigorous process of officially changing my name to my married name - officially and legally now Janis Foster Richardson.  No, I'm not recently married - I've been married for 16 years.  There were a lot of good reasons I didn't change my name at the time of my marriage and a lot of additional good reasons I decided to change my name now. One reason is that two names was just too complicated - professional colleagues know me as Foster, recent friends know me as Richardson, and, believe it or not, I would often stumble around when people asked me my name. …

  • A Refreshing Insight about Grant Size

    Janis Foster Richardson
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:10 pm
    Yes, I know that I'm writing a lot about money.  But isn't it our thinking about money that mucks up the works when we're doing something noble and important such as investing in the future of our communities?  Not money itself, but our thinking about money.  And by "our" I mean both grantmakers and grant seekers. I heard from neighborhood grantmaking team this week at the Battle Creek Community Foundation with a refreshing insight that I want to share.  What they shared made me flash back to a set of comments that I heard almost every meeting from one of the members of…

  • Grassroots Grantmaking & Community Organizing: Are You Seeing What I'm Seeing?

    Janis Foster Richardson
    2 Nov 2009 | 11:36 am
    I noticed something last week in northeast Ohio that I've been seeing across the grassroots grantmaking network - something that I'm hoping is really a trend and not something that I've conjured up from years of wishing it was so. What I'm spotting is more synergy between the resident-centered work that some place-based funders are doing and practice of community organizing.  And I'm being deliberate when I say the practice of community orgnaizing.  What is exciting is that I'm seeing more direct, practical connections between funders who are engaged in grassroots grantmaking and…

  • The On the Ground Ohio Experience

    Janis Foster Richardson
    28 Oct 2009 | 7:52 pm
    Here's a short animoto video with photos from our recent "On the Ground with Grassroots Grantmakers" in Ohio's Mahoning Valley.  Check it out and watch for info about dates and places for two more in 2010. There's music with this, so check your volume if you're at the office!
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    The Chronicle of Philanthropy - Prospecting

  • Most Americans Intend to Make Holiday Donations This Year

    Holly Hall
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:07 am
    Many charities are concerned that donations will suffer this month and next with the weak economy taking its toll on the normally busy giving season. But recent surveys suggest that year-end contributions, as well as donations next year, may not drop as much as some fund raisers fear. In the latest such research, the American Red Cross commissioned a poll of more than 1,000 adults this month. Despite the fact that nearly one in four Americans said their pay had decreased because of the economy, nearly 80 percent said that their holiday donations to charity would stay the same (62 percent) or…

  • Colorado Public Radio Holds a Pledge Drive -- for Another Group

    Nicole Wallace
    19 Nov 2009 | 9:56 am
    Colorado Public Radio plans to hold a three-day fund-raising drive the week after Thanksgiving — but the beneficiary will be the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. “Colorado Public Radio recognizes the CSO’s unique role as one of Colorado’s key cultural assets and petitioned the Federal Communications Commission for permission to conduct a one-time-only, on-air fund-raising drive to support its major classical music provider, the Colorado Symphony,” Max Wycisk, president of Colorado Public Radio, said in a statement. The orchestra has been hit hard by the economic crisis,…

  • College Campaigns Meet Monetary Goals, Despite Bad Economy

    Holly Hall
    18 Nov 2009 | 10:40 am
    Most capital campaigns by colleges and universities that seek to raise $1-billion or more are on track to meet their goals, despite the bad economy, according to a new report. The report, by Marts & Lundy, a Lyndhurst, N.J., fund-raising consulting firm, analyzed 26 of the biggest campaigns now under way. Seventeen of the drives started before December 2007, when the recession officially began, and the nine others began in 2008. Using regularly updated data on billion-dollar campaigns in higher education from The Chronicle of Higher Education and “big gifts of $50-million” or…

  • AIDS Grant Making Grows

    Ian Wilhelm
    17 Nov 2009 | 8:44 am
    Thanks to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, American foundation support for HIV/AIDS-related causes grew 11 percent last year, to $618-million, says a new report. But when the Gates organization is excluded, foundation giving actually declined 3 percent compared to 2007, said Funders Concerned About AIDS, a coalition of grant makers in New York. In a new report, the coalition is urging foundations to step up their support for HIV/AIDS vaccine research, prevention, and other projects, saying the economic downturn threatens to erode recent gains in fighting the pandemic. According to a…

  • Majority of Donors Plan to Keep Giving to Same Number of Charities Next Year

    Holly Hall
    17 Nov 2009 | 8:20 am
    Despite the bad economy and rising unemployment rates, a majority of American professionals say they will give to the same number of nonprofit organizations next year as they did in the preceding 12 months, according to preliminary results from a new survey. Fifty-eight percent of respondents in the survey said they will probably give to the same number of nonprofit organizations next year, and nearly a quarter said that they had donated more than $5,000 to nonprofit causes in the preceding 12 months. The research, conducted by the American Society of Association Executives, was based on a…
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    Will Marlow

  • I Don’t Care Whether Causes Will Support a MySpace Presence

    Will Marlow
    10 Nov 2009 | 7:42 pm
    Last week Causes announced they would no longer expend the resources necessary to be compatible with MySpace.  This is not surprising.  MySpace is shrinking every day and seems on a track to become at best a dating and music web site, so I find it hard to believe that institutions will be disadvantaged by the absence of Causes on MySpace. Most internet donations are the result of well-thought out email campaigns.  Social networks are excellent as supplementary tools – but the network itself, whether it’s MySpace or Facebook, is less important than the communication it serves. Direct…

  • Dragons Live Here: Three Things That Will Kill Your Online Fundraising

    Will Marlow
    5 Nov 2009 | 11:14 am
    Here are three Worst Practices to avoid in your online fundraising campaign 1.  Do NOT put someone in charge of online fundraising who does not understand traditional fundraising. Here’s the reality of online fundraising: it’s like any other type of fundraising – the only difference being that it takes place through online channels.  It is FAR easier to teach someone who understands fundraising how to use Facebook than it is to teach someone who understands Facebook how to do fundraising. 2.  If your online fundraising strategy can be summarized as the hope of converting a…

  • The Only Three Things You Need to Know About Cloud Computing

    Will Marlow
    29 Oct 2009 | 12:31 pm
    If you understand a few simple things about the phenomena known as “cloud computing,” you’ll understand one of the most revolutionary forces that is shaping the landscape of technology. The simple summary of cloud computing is this: software that is completely accessible over the Internet. What does that mean? It means that your computer could break, but your software would keep going.  You could spill coffee on your hard drive, but your data will survive.  This is because the data lives on the cloud, which is a metaphor for the Internet.  This also means that when you travel, you…

  • The Second Step to Getting Your Organization Quoted in the News

    Will Marlow
    23 Oct 2009 | 11:47 am
    (This is the second of two posts on getting your organization quoted in news stories.  Click here or the first post in this series.) The second step (click here to re-read the first step) to getting your organization quoted in the news is pretty easy.   All you need to do is: (a) read the newspaper and (b) keep a record of the names of reporters who write stories that you wish you were quoted in.  If you’re disciplined about clipping only relevant news stories and saving the names and contact information for the right reporters, you’ll quickly have a powerful list of…

  • The Secret to Getting Your Organization Quoted in the Media

    Will Marlow
    5 Oct 2009 | 7:39 am
    (This is the first of two posts on getting your organization quoted in news stories.  Click here for the second post in this series.) Measure everything you can.  That way when reporters are writing stories about trends in your industry, they won’t need to settle for the abstract general statistics that are usually the impetus for their story in the first place. Most schools and charities don’t track nearly as many facts about their fundraising as they could.  According to a recent study of 550 major schools, two thirds don’t even track the total number of online gifts they…
 
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    Kiva Loans

  • Rios De Agua Viva Group : Bolivia

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pm
    $0 of $3,250 raised. Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009 The community bank group "Rios De Agua Viva" ("Rivers of Life Water") is based out of one of the regional offices of Kiva partner Pro Mujer near the Andes. The group has about two years' experience, and the majority of the 12 members make a living weaving blankets and selling food. A few others dedicate themselves to making cards, sewing jackets, producing party favors or selling spare auto parts. The members are in need of the loan so they can purchase the supplies they need to make their products, such as wool and fabric, while…

  • Ladu Nadia : South Sudan

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pm
    $0 of $200 raised. Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009 Ladu Nadia is in the business of selling bread and cakes in the market and is requesting a loan to purchase other items such as tomatoes, fresh fish, onions, etc., to sell. Ladu is 23 years old and married to a soldier. She has two children and her children go to school. With the extra profits from her loan, she hopes to be able to open a restaurant. BRAC's holistic approach to poverty alleviation and empowerment of the poor encompasses a range of core programs in economic and social development, health, education, human rights and…

  • 041 Quảng Hưng Group : Viet Nam

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pm
    $0 of $1,350 raised. Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009 Chung Vũ Kim (83) is a 37-year-old female living in the town of Thanh Hoá. Chung is the group leader of a 4-member group loan offered by Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women. While each member of the group receives an individual loan, they all are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members if someone is delinquent or defaults. The official name of this borrowing group is 041 (041 Quảng Hưng). Chung is married and has one school-aged child. To making a living, Chung is starting a business venture in the…

  • Diarra Gning : Senegal

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:30 pm
    $75 of $575 raised. Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009 Diarra GNING is married and the mother of seven children. She is 53 years old. Diarra is a member of Banc Villageois de MBOUSNAKH where she has benefited from 15 loans, which she has always repaid. She's developing a small business selling millet, peanuts, and dried beans. Her profits enable her to take part in supporting her family.Translated from French by Dan Kuey, Kiva Volunteer

  • Martha : Peru

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:20 pm
    $100 of $600 raised. Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009 Martha belongs to the Virgen Asunta Communal Bank. She is from the Calca province in the Cusco department. Calca is one hour from the Cusco province. She is a 65 year old widow, and she has four daughters. She alternates her activities between taking care of her daughters and work. She works selling food in the Modelo Market in Calca. She needs a loan to increase capital in her business of selling food. She is grateful for the opportunity that is offered, and she promises to make her payments on time. Translated from Spanish by Ginny…
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    Fundraising / Charity Ideas Blog

  • Fundraising With Victory Cards

    admin
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:35 am
    Ok so we’ve been talking a lot lately about causes and new innovative ways that people are raising money for them. We have a great way that you can raise money for your favourite charity. We listened to your feedback about wanting to help your cause and I really believe we’ve come up with a great opportunity for you. This is a way to help out without feeling like you have to put a lot of time into it. I’m excited about this and I’m hopin’ that when you see it so will you. Victory Cards are scratch cards that enable you to collect money for your cause. They can be…

  • My Personal Addiction Tied Into Fundraising

    admin
    16 Nov 2009 | 8:30 am
    I’ve come clean on my interest in drumming and music before in my post Music to the Rescue. I’ve been playing and studying drumming for a long time and came across a great article featuring some of my favorite players donating parts of their kits for charity. Although the auction took place last December the reason why they did it is still relevant. The auction took place for teenagers with cancer in the UK. Everyday the UK will diagnose up to 6 new cases of cancer in teens and young adults. In this age range cancer is the most common form of death after non-accidents. Survival rates are…

  • We Haven’t Forgotten

    admin
    11 Nov 2009 | 7:44 am
    I’ve been spending time watching some incredible TV lately. Last weekend the National Geographic channnel showed a 6 part documentary called World War 2: The Apocalypse . If you get a chance you should watch it. The footage is so clean and it’s been colorized which I thought really added to it. 6 hours to remind you of what soldiers had and have to go through. Some have apprently forgotten after a centotaph was vandalized. Life may not be perfect for you today, but you enjoy freedoms bought at a precious price. Stop…be thankful….and remember.

  • Matt Damon Talks Clean Water.

    admin
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:12 am
    Ok so I’m not really on a Matt Damon kick but as I’ve said before I talk a lot about clean water, and do does Mr. Damon. I posted a blog last month on Matt’s shalle we say unique fundraising “technique.” You don’t say no to Matt Damon when he’s out looking for contributions! Anyway this video outlines that it’s tough for people who don’t have clean water but it also mentions that there’s hope. Nothing can stand in the way of people with the will to change the situation. All barriers must eventually fall before willpower. But action…

  • Fundraising and Corporate Sponsorship for Non Profit Organizations

    admin
    3 Nov 2009 | 8:26 am
    One of the great things about twitter is you get to meet a lot of new people. I’ve come to meet a lot of people in the non profit and charitable community who are out there helping others. One such person is Bob Burris. Bob helps non profits get corporate sponsorship. Along with fundraising which we do corporate sponsorship helps generate the money non profit organizations need. Through emailing Bob and reading through his website I got to know what he did. I thought that he could slide in here easily and talk to you guys on corporate sponsorship which from emails I know you interested…
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    Walkathon Guide

  • Share Ideas With Other Walkathon Planners

    walkathonguide
    12 Nov 2009 | 7:28 pm
    Here is a friendly place to learn from other people walking the same path as you, called Charity Walks Network. According to it’s founder, Roger Carr, “It’s a free social networking site for people who are passionate about charity walks.” You can use the network to build friendships, find new ways to improve your walkathon, and help [...]

  • DoJiggy Grant Applications Due Nov 15

    walkathonguide
    30 Oct 2009 | 4:38 pm
    Announcing the grant opportunities for charitable groups from DoJiggy, a company that offers software for walkathons and other fund raising.

  • Walkathon Concessions Tips

    walkathonguide
    16 Oct 2009 | 8:39 am
    If your walkathon event lasts more than an hour or two, you can make a bundle from concessions!  A couple tips: Get donations from local vendors as part of your sponsors program, in exchange for plenty of publicity.  You may be able to get much of your walkathon concessions inventory for free. Be sure to keep an [...]

  • Welcome to Walkathon Guide

    walkathonguide
    12 Sep 2009 | 5:24 pm
    Hello Friends, Welcome!  Thanks for stopping by.  Some things you can do here: Get the book! If you are planning a walkathon or jogathon, The Walkathon Guide will save tons of work and help you anticipate all the details that go with a successful event.  You can download the book in about three minutes, or  learn [...]

  • The Big Picture – Seven Tips for Planning a Walkathon

    walkathonguide
    10 Sep 2009 | 12:35 pm
    Let’s take a break from all the walkathon details, and take a  look at the big picture for walkathon planning.   Here are seven thoughts to help you still be aware of  the trees but yet be in control of the whole  walkathon forest.  (I hope you like my metaphorest). 1. Focus on getting volunteers, and everything [...]
 
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