Maybe you’ve used gift cards in gift baskets for silent auctions before, or as prizes for your most successful fundraising volunteers, but have you considered doing a fundraiser by collecting gift cards and cashing them in? Especially during the winter holidays, people get lots of gift cards for presents. Sure, when you receive a gift card, you will most likely want to go shopping with it for yourself, but what about gift cards you receive to stores you don’t care much about? Or gift cards that are partially spent and are adding up in your wallet? Chances are you have a gift card…
Fundraising
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Most Topular Stories
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Fundraising with Gift Cards
FundraisingIP.com: Fundraising Ideas12 Dec 2011 | 12:02 pm -
Direct Marketing Tips in 2012 to Improve Marketing ROI
The Wakeman Agency Blog17 Jan 2012 | 9:25 amBy Soo Dawson You know and I know that direct marketing tactics can really backfire at times. I recently heard of a bakery owner in a small suburb who offered a deal on her Facebook page – order a cake by such and such date and you will get a second cake for free! She ended up having to fulfill over 2,500 orders and lost $20,000 in labor costs and baking supplies. What she probably didn’t anticipate was the overwhelming response to her promotion, and it ended up becoming a costly mistake for her. But many marketers fall prey to this type of poor planning from… -
The Indomitable Healing Spirit of James O'dea
CharityFocus.org: Incubator of Compassionate Action25 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am“Service is not a form of moral obligation. It’s more about feeling the potential of the universe, the latent energy within the universe that is waiting to be released and expressed through you and your own unique qualities. There is no single paradigm of service. How do we truly release ourselves into the field of action?” With that introduction, James O’dea, formerly Director of Amnesty International’s Washington, DC office, Executive Director of the Seva Foundation and President of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, opened up a whole new… -
JRunners Raise Over $90000 in the 5K Run for Our Place
SWEET Online Fundraising Blog3 Jun 2011 | 6:41 pmIt's always nice to spotlight our clients who make the most of their event with the SWEET Fundraising Software for A-thons. JRunners (http://www.jrunners.org/) did just that in a recent 5K Race (http://ourplace5k.jrunners.org/) where they raised over $90,000 for Our Place.... -
Celebrity Appearances Help Fundraising Efforts
Step By Step Fundraising25 Jan 2012 | 8:55 amOne of the best ways to insure spectacular attendance at fundraising events is to have a celebrity attend or even speak to your group. The Restoration, a faith-based event sponsored by the New Hope Gospel Church youth ministry program Extreme Fire, has been holding a fundraising event for 5 years. This year they expect to break all records. They are bringing in Tim Tebow to speak to their group. So how do you go about attracting celebrities to your fundraiser? Here are a few suggestions: 1. Look for local celebrities that personally know your organization or group. Possibilities include local…
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FUNDRAISING - Yahoo! News Search Results
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Fundraising expert coming to GV
28 Jan 2012 | 5:35 amThe Center for Nonprofit Leadership is bringing acclaimed development expert, Kay Sprinkel Grace, to Grass Valley on Feb. 3. This full-day workshop, sponsored in part by Richard Keene Attorney at Law, will be held at United Method... -
Fundraising walk, dinner planned Saturday for family of slain Vallejo cop Jim Capoot
27 Jan 2012 | 9:46 pmVacaville police are inviting Bay Area residents to celebrate the life of slain Vallejo police officer Jim Capoot by walking 29 miles between Vallejo and Vacaville on Saturday. -
Fundraising for stadium is stepped up
27 Jan 2012 | 3:25 pmA campaign to raise $250,000 to pay for the restoration of Homer Hanson Stadium officially started this week with mailings to Marysville High School alumni. -
Fundraising story offers inspiring largesse
27 Jan 2012 | 8:29 amThe unexpected Jan. 18 news of a $1.5 million donation to help with needed renovations of Alumni Stadium at the University of Guelph was a good story and a good-news story for the community. -
2 ex-Walker aides accused of fundraising on job
27 Jan 2012 | 8:24 amTwo women who were on Republican Gov. Scott Walker's staff when he was the Milwaukee County executive were charged Thursday with carrying out political fundraising while on the job, becoming the fourth and fifth people with ties to Walker charged as part of a corruption investigation.
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FUNDRAISING - Bing News
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IMPORTANT: Bing News RSS feed has moved!
27 Jan 2012 | 9:45 pmGo to the new RSS page and renew your subscription. -
Gingrich Also Raises Ethics Questions
As Newt Gingrich and his allies scramble to raise enough money to compete with Mitt Romney in Florida’s costly GOP primary, they’re relying on political players who carry almost as much ethics baggage as the former Speaker himself. Gingrich’s Florida ... -
is in full swing in Katy’s name
events and donations inspired by the plight of a schoolgirl who lost her fight against a brain tumour is gathering pace. Katy Holmes, 10, of Margaret Road, Penwortham, lost her battle against an inoperable brain tumour earlier this month. -
Saskatoon hospitals' program raises concerns
The provincial NDP has accused the Saskatchewan Party of undermining patient privacy and called on the government to immediately put a stop to the Grateful Patient program announced this week in the Saskatoon Health Region. The Opposition ... -
DCCC Totaled $61 Million In 2011
WASHINGTON — The political committee representing House Democrats said it has raised more than $61 million last year, giving the group a stronger financial footing heading into the November election. The Democratic Congressional Campaign ...
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Beth’s Blog
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Peeragogy: Self Organized Peer Learning in Networks
26 Jan 2012 | 11:16 amPhoto by Aussiegal My dream is to see more robust informal peer learning networks in the nonprofit sector. As a trainer, I’m intensely interested in creating learning experiences that integrate or about how to use the technology for nonprofits that engage and inspire people to put the ideas into practice. I’ve been obsessed with peer learning and self-directed learning models in my own learning and the trainings I design and facilitate. The term Peeragogy came fluttering through my network, like a butterfly, and it caught my interest. It resonated. When an idea or… -
What Do Facebook’s New Timeline Apps Mean for Nonprofits?
25 Jan 2012 | 11:39 amSource: developers.facebook.com via Beth on Pinterest Remember last September when Facebook announced all those changes to individual profiles, including the timeline? One of the changes was that your friends and fans can do more than “Like” or “Comment” on Facebook. Three new actions were announced at the time, including: Read, Watch, Listen to help people better understand what their friends are doing online. Facebook called it the “Open Graph” and the pr people called “A revolution to the whole meaning of listening to music together or family… -
What Comes First, Content Creation or Curation?
24 Jan 2012 | 10:59 amFlickr Photo by Carissa Marie This is definitely not a chicken and egg question! A debate in content marketing circles is whether or not you should simply focus on creating original content and forget content curation. Let’s be clear as my fellow content curator, Jan Gordon, says: There is no curation without original content. I might qualify this a bit by saying, there is no curation with awesomely addictive social content! And that means creating content – blog posts, tweets, Facebook updates, YouTube Videos – that is valuable and high quality. Not sure if you… -
The Information Diet: Not Just A Book, A Movement For Conscious Consumption of Information
23 Jan 2012 | 10:51 amI’ve been curating resources and teaching workshops on the topic of information coping skills for a couple of years. I first became interested in the topic after reading David Shenk’s “Data Smog” in 1998 using the metaphor of environmental problems to talk about the dangers of having too much online information, primarily email. This was in the era before Facebook and there was far less information available compared today. (My favorite practical principle from Shenk was “Give A Hoot, Don’t Email Pollute” when talking about the need for… -
Social Media and Cute Dogs Go Mobile And Other Cute Animal and Nonprofit Tales
20 Jan 2012 | 9:37 amThe Cute Dog Theory or more precisely the Cute Animal Theory states that including cute animals in your social media content inspires more people to share the content. If don’t believe that is true, check out this YouTube video from VW of dogs barking the theme from Star Wars as a Superbowl Teaser. In less than a day, it has over 1 million views. The cute animal theory has not gone unnoticed by nonprofits, even those that are not animal welfare organizations, zoos or aquariums are sharing content featuring cute animals on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. And now, mobile.
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Inspiring Generosity
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Celebrate the Anti-Heros of Change
26 Jan 2012 | 7:03 amImage by James Wong These days, social change online seems to always involve a central figure–a hero, if you would. Whether it’s the individual cause champion rallying online influencers and donors, or a benevolent foundation driving a program of change. Yet, in reality while the hero myth makes an attractive narrative it belies the truth. You need to be an anti-hero to accomplish change. This is not to demean the role a project lead, public figure, or funding organization makes. Far from it, their contribution is critical to success. Yet, we see many individuals and organizations… -
Oldie But a Goodie: Thanking Your Donors
25 Jan 2012 | 11:15 amPhoto by meddygarnet Editor’s Note: Recently I got a request to re-post one of our most popular blog posts so far. I find this post to be one of the most informational pieces on how to thank your donors–a critical element of a successful ongoing fundraising campaign. Written by Alex Bornkessel, this post was originally published on September 6, 2011. Enjoy! What do 10 donations, 3 thank yous and 7 failures to communicate have in common? They are all a part of Kivi Leroux Miller’s annual “What I Got When I Gave” experiment. This reminds us about the weight (and… -
What is peer-to-peer online fundraising anyhow?
25 Jan 2012 | 7:31 amRaising money online is probably the hardest thing any small or medium-size nonprofit will ever do. Sometimes all the effort and lack of results makes it feel like pulling teeth with chopsticks. Online Fundraising Is No Easy Marathon First of all, there are the obstacles you have at the starting line. You have to establish an extraordinary amount of trust before they actually make a donation–even if it’s just $10. There’s also the issue of human resources, which usually includes only one or two people that are trying to manage the entire online fundraising process. -
Facing Your Fear of Social Media
24 Jan 2012 | 12:30 pmPhoto by SashaW Robin Lane is a public relations strategist in Washington, DC. For more than a decade she has been working with clients to create traditional and social media strategies that get results. Her expertise includes search engine optimization, event planning, thought leadership programs and digital strategy. Follow her on Twitter @robinhlane. Did your 2012 resolutions for health and well-being this year include social media? As scary as the gym seems, for many of us it is nowhere near the horror of navigating the online world. After all, you can hide at the gym but not in social… -
Has Your Fundraising Lost Its Magic? Here’s How to Make it Reappear
24 Jan 2012 | 8:40 amI watched one of my favorite films recently, The Prestige. Set in 19th century London, the movie depicts the rivalry of two talented magicians, played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. It’s a great movie, and has an ending I promise you’ll love. The movie opens and ends with the words of a character named “Cutter,” who’s played by Michael Caine. Cutter describes the three parts or acts of every great magic trick. But his description isn’t limited to illusionists who make things disappear and reappear. They are true to every field that takes…
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Step By Step Fundraising
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Fundraisers for Youth Groups
27 Jan 2012 | 2:58 pmTimes have changed and there is more to consider with Fundraisers for Youth Groups. In fact the entire process has evolved over the years. Ten years ago youth groups typically counted on the kids to raise money. The group would hand our fundraising brochures and each child was expected to sell fundraising products to friends, family and neighbors. It was expected that the youth would take their brochure and knock on doors around their neighborhood. But those days are done for the most part. Now more parents take control of fundraising. If the group is holding a cookie dough fundraiser the… -
Are There Really Unique Fundraising Ideas?
26 Jan 2012 | 8:17 amI just got off the phone with someone asking for Unique Fundraising Ideas and it got me thinking about whether there really were unique fundraising ideas or had most every idea been done before. I probably should have just answered the question but decided to pursue the conversation with the caller to see what they were really looking for. It turns out they were not so much looking for a unique fundraiser as they were looking for something different than what the believed every other fundraising group in their town was selling. So we talked about that. At the time she know other groups… -
Celebrity Appearances Help Fundraising Efforts
25 Jan 2012 | 8:55 amOne of the best ways to insure spectacular attendance at fundraising events is to have a celebrity attend or even speak to your group. The Restoration, a faith-based event sponsored by the New Hope Gospel Church youth ministry program Extreme Fire, has been holding a fundraising event for 5 years. This year they expect to break all records. They are bringing in Tim Tebow to speak to their group. So how do you go about attracting celebrities to your fundraiser? Here are a few suggestions: 1. Look for local celebrities that personally know your organization or group. Possibilities include local… -
School Fundraising Cookie Dough
23 Jan 2012 | 3:45 pmThere are different school fundraising cookie dough companies and different school fundraising cookie dough products you can choose as you probably already know. So how do you choose the best option? Start with the easy decision. Do you want to sell frozen cookie dough or something that does not require refrigeration? Most large groups gravitate toward frozen cookie dough fundraisers because that’s what people expect. But there are dry cookie miz fundraisers you can choose from as well. The benefit of the latter is that there is no refrigeration needed which makes distribution a lot… -
How to Have a Fundraiser
19 Jan 2012 | 9:41 amThere is an abundance of information available on fundraising ideas all throughout the internet yet people still wonder How to Have a Fundraiser. So let’s chat about that for a few moments. We hear from lots of people wanting to know if they need to be part of a group to have a fundraiser. Most are surprised to find out that the same programs available to schools and sports teams are available to them. An individual can choose the same school fundraiser as an elementary school might. In fact there are now even cookie dough fundraisers designed for individuals and small groups. The…
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A Small Change
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Fundraising is Not a Narcotic
23 Jan 2012 | 11:48 pmOver the last few months I have been secretly peddling drugs. My blog was hacked and, unknown to me, written into the metadata was advertising for a narcotic. I’m very sorry that I did not catch it sooner. I deleted my site and reposted everything and have solved the problem. I was thinking about what I want my website to be about and I reflected on what fundraising is about. There is not a lot in common between fundraising and drugs. Fundraising is about capacity building for good work in our communities. It is about providing people a chance they never had before. However some people… -
Don’t Forget Your $1,000 Gifts
17 Oct 2011 | 9:00 amEvery organization understands the value of their very top 20 donors. It is easy to see the importance of a $10,000 annual donor. Many organizations have a cut-off as to when the “major gift” starts; often times this is $1,000. Don’t forget the value of those donors that are right at and right before that cut off. This group knows they are not your top donors but are giving because your organization is an area of passion for them. They want you to keep in touch but don’t expect as much attention. (This group is a really great group to talk with about planned gifts. If a donor can give… -
Elusive Prospects
10 Oct 2011 | 9:00 amWe all have those prospects which we can never get on the phone. I had a great question in my post, This Thing Called Follow-up, and I wanted to provide a bit more of a comprehensive response. It is almost always difficult to connect with a new prospect as nobody likes to receive a phone call from a stranger. Building your fundraising programs via people in the community who have never given and have little connection to your organization will always be a challenge. If these are prospects that could be movers and shakers for your organization, think carefully about who calls them. Send a list… -
Take Initiative
3 Oct 2011 | 9:00 amI am not a particularly brilliant or innovative person nor am I fabulously talented or charismatic. Any success that I have had I’d contribute to a God that cares about me, great friends, and initiative. I am baffled by how many people will only do exactly what they are told or asked to do and nothing more. If you want to be successful, find a way to do more than is expected and asked of you. Many organizations have a time where the office is less busy often times during the summer donors are less engaged as they are traveling. What a great time to think about a special projects you can… -
The Long Ask
26 Sep 2011 | 9:00 amIt always baffles me how little time organizations will spend stewarding and cultivating their donors. The less time an organization spends acknowledging and cultivating its donors the fewer donors they will retain. In this kind of an organization their top donors are current board members because that is the only group with which they have spent significant time. Many of these organizations never ask for a gift they just cross their fingers and hope that the money will come in. Take time throughout the entire year to connect with your donors. Know what season your donors would like to give…
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FirstGiving Blog
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Sharing Series Recap: How to Best Share Your Fundraising Page Online
27 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pmOver the course of the week we have been discussing how to best share your fundraising page online. Here is a brief recap of this week’s series. The 5 “Don’t”s of sharing your fundraising page on Twitter Make sure your Twitter followers have a clear idea of what you are trying to do in a single tweet. Being vague or hard to understand will not help your fundraising goals. Use hashtags as a way to add your tweets to a larger, cataloged Twitter conversation. Ask your Twitter followers to RT (retweet) your tweets for exponential exposure. With the incredible pace of Twitter,… -
Part 4: Use video to your online fundraising advantage
26 Jan 2012 | 4:30 amThe 4th post in our weeklong “Sharing your fundraising page” series discusses how using a simple, webcam video can communicate your cause to your network in a fun and different way. Experiment with your computer’s webcam Most computers these days come with their own built-in webcams. This is a powerful tool that you may already have experience with. Shoot a quick video of yourself explaining the story behind your fundraising campaign. Why are you fundraising? How do you plan to do it? Adding an interesting, human story behind your efforts can create a strong personal connection… -
Part 3: Share your fundraising page via email
25 Jan 2012 | 4:30 amContinuing with our weeklong “Sharing your fundraising page” series, part 3 will focus on email. Our email tool is a great way to communicate directly to your network of family, friends and colleagues. We encourage you to use it to further your fundraising goals. Utilize your fundraising page email tool When you create your free FirstGiving fundraising page, you have a lot of tools available for use. One of the most effective is our fundraiser email tool. By logging into your fundraising page account and clicking on the “Your Fundraising” tab, you are given the option to draft… -
Part 2: Share your fundraising page on Facebook
24 Jan 2012 | 4:30 amPart 2 of our “Sharing your fundraising page” series focuses on sharing on Facebook. Yesterday we touched upon Twitter and will hit other social media sharing channels in the days to come. Share your fundraising page on Facebook Walls, Pages, and Groups In the realm of Facebook, there are many places you can share your fundraising page, be it a friend’s wall, an official Facebook page, and/or a Facebook Group. Hit all of these areas and do so more than once. Do not go over board with the number of posts but a friendly reminder with an actionable link here and there is… -
Part 1: The 5 “Don’t”s of sharing your fundraising page on Twitter
23 Jan 2012 | 4:30 amThis week, we’ll be doing a “Sharing your fundraising page” series to go over some best practices around sharing your fundraising pages through social media. We’ll kick things off today with Twitter and discuss how you can best share your fundraising page online. Be sure to check back throughout the week for more sharing tips! Twitter is a micro blogging social network that consists of individuals sending 140-character messages to either their entire network or to individual followers. Its integration into other online services has slowly made Twitter a standard in…
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FundraisingIP.com: Fundraising Ideas
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Make Money With a Valentine’s Day Fundraiser
25 Jan 2012 | 12:00 pmValentine’s Day is one of the best times of year to hold a fundraiser! A Valentine’s Day fundraiser offers the advantages of • Decreased competition from other fundraisers – as opposed to the busy times of year for fundraising like Christmas and Fall, when many local and nationwide groups launch major campaigns • Demand for novelty products and candy • Opportunity for entertaining event-based fundraisers Every type of Valentine’s Day fundraiser offers a variety of ways to make money. Some, event-based fundraisers especially, can bring in profits in more ways than… -
Volunteers: Unpaid but Priceless
19 Jan 2012 | 1:53 pmThere is no doubt that without a volunteer force, local, nationwide and worldwide charitable groups wouldn’t be able to do most of their good work. Volunteers are priceless and it would be hard to imagine a world without them! If you’re running a fundraiser, or leading a group of volunteers, what can you do to make sure your volunteers remain by your side through good and bad times? Why do your volunteers work for you? It helps to find out what motivates volunteers to work for your group in the first place. Do they strongly believe in your cause? Do they appreciate their work… -
2011 Recap: Diversification Important for Fundraisers
29 Dec 2011 | 6:50 pmAs 2011 comes to an end, we’d like to thank you, our readers, for your continued support of FundraisingIP.com! Please keep sending your comments and suggestions so we can continue to post useful fundraising information and more new fundraising ideas in the coming year! 2011 donation statistics won’t be in for a while yet, but in the past it has been the small donations from individuals that have been keeping charities afloat: even though corporations are known to make large donations, donations from individuals are still making up the majority – up to about three quarters… -
Fundraising with Gift Cards
12 Dec 2011 | 12:02 pmMaybe you’ve used gift cards in gift baskets for silent auctions before, or as prizes for your most successful fundraising volunteers, but have you considered doing a fundraiser by collecting gift cards and cashing them in? Especially during the winter holidays, people get lots of gift cards for presents. Sure, when you receive a gift card, you will most likely want to go shopping with it for yourself, but what about gift cards you receive to stores you don’t care much about? Or gift cards that are partially spent and are adding up in your wallet? Chances are you have a gift card… -
Quick FundraisingIP.com Giveaway: Win an iPod Touch 32 GB!
8 Dec 2011 | 12:39 pmYou may be all wrapped up in working on your last fundraising campaign for the year and taking advantage of the fact that most donations are made within the last three months of the year. But please do take a moment out of your busy day and enter our first Giveaway! All you have to do is link to your favorite charity and you could win an iPod Touch! You can enter via this blog post or via Twitter and promote your own group or your favorite charity at the same time! (see instructions below) But hurry, you can only enter until Thursday, December 15th 2011! The Prize: One (1) Apple iPod…
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Conor Byrne's Blog
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Irish Fundraisers – help the sector
26 Jan 2012 | 3:54 amcan you take the time out to fill out the Fundraising Ireland survey please. The information helps the entire sector Thanks Filed under: fundraising -
Pass the parcel across Dublin
24 Jan 2012 | 11:22 amI liked this for a few reasons. Firstly it was inspired by an idea from New Zealand, it’s been tweaked, but I just love when others see something that has already been done and make it their own. Secondly it has come from a supporter and not the charity, but the causes involved got fully [...] -
A competition isn’t a strategy
23 Jan 2012 | 2:23 amIs it just me, or does it feel like all brands are doing on their Facenook pages now is running competitions? In some ways it’s like we have forgotten what else to do there! Now I’m all for competitions, don’t get me wrong. And often I get alerted to a brands presence on Facebook as [...] -
My dream for appreciation
20 Jan 2012 | 4:37 amNo, I’m not looking for people to appreciate me. So what is this all about. Well the wonderful Nancy Schwartz asked me if I would be interested in taking part in the Non Profit Blog Carnival this month. I wondered what I would talk about. The topic is ” What’s Your Dream”. So many dreams [...] -
Hireland
18 Jan 2012 | 6:39 amHave you heard about Hireland? I’m really impressed by this movement. We all have great ideas, but what turns an idea into a movement is action. This idea, like many others, was generated over a kitchen table, spurred on by a sense of frustration that we were losing so many great, talented people to emigration. [...]
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FundraisingCoach.com
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Free nonprofit tools from 10 different experts!
25 Jan 2012 | 7:07 amI’m thrilled to be participating in the Nonprofit Goodies Giveaway! 10 of us have gotten together to offer: 5 free ebooks including the Wild Woman’s Guide to Fundraising and my own Ask Without Fear!, 2 free workbooks, 2 free trainings, and one free Donor Map. On the Nonprofit Goodies Giveaway site there are tools to help with your major gifts, annual fund, grant fundraising, storytelling and presentations. There’s even a training to help you with your benefit auctions. But hurry these goodies are only available until January 31! To get your year started with these great… -
Brief rant: YOU ARE NOT YOUR PERFECT DONOR!
18 Jan 2012 | 8:01 am[Warning: Rant in progress] In my book Ask Without Fear!, I encourage fundraisers to PYITS–put yourself in their shoes. Thinking like the donor or prospect can save you lots of embarrassment in the process of asking for money. But never forget: you are not your perfect donor Your major gift donor prospects are not on the same life trajectory as you. They have different life goals, work patterns, and values. This is good. This is why they are in a financial place for you to be talking to them. So listen to what they want. Based on my trainings around the world, 70-75% of the people… -
MLK and your nonprofit fundraising
15 Jan 2012 | 4:07 pmIn the United States we’re honoring the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. I’m sure many people will be posting about the “I have a dream” speech. I get so inspired reading his speech. We in the nonprofit world sure know about dreams! We see the world both as it is and as it can be. So much of our job is telling people that story. But MLK’s life wasn’t just telling stories. He did the work. He marched. He went to jail. He put himself in harms way. While I hope we get inspired about dreams and a free and equal world, I really hope we all get inspired to do… -
Job Opening: Campaign Assistant
13 Jan 2012 | 9:29 amI often have people tell me about job openings. But now I get to share one! I’m working on a capital campaign in Lebanon, NH at the Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital. And APD is looking to hire a campaign assistant. The position is part-time and Raisers Edge experience is a plus. You can read all the details here: Campaign Assistant-Philanthrophy & Community Relations Department (c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick! Other Possibly Related posts: Job Opening – D.C. Postion Opening Job… -
New Year Resolution: Ask More!
5 Jan 2012 | 2:20 pmWhether you love or hate New Year Resolutions, millions of people use January 1 to start new habits. As a result, I’ve been asked by several bloggers and magazines what New Year resolution I would suggest people make. My answer for nonprofit folks? Ask more. If you could do only one thing this year As I’ve worked with nonprofits over the last year or two, I’ve noticed a tendency to do everything but ask. Don’t get me wrong. I believe in developing donors and engaging prospects and thanking supporters. I think it’s good to learn how to tell their story…
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SWEET Online Fundraising Blog
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For Nonprofits Mobile Web is better than Apps
11 Jan 2012 | 4:11 pmHere's a short list of reasons why nonprofits should focus more on making making their websites mobile friendly and less on App development. Creating and Maintaining an App is expensive. Making your existing website mobile-friendly is easy and not so... -
Mobile Version of SWEET Pledge Fundraising Website Shows Great Promise
6 Jan 2012 | 2:05 pmIn the online fundraising world, "great promise" means donations. In the 1st week after we launched the mobile verison of http://hope.cupidsundierun.com, 60 donations came through from Iphones, Ipads, or Android devices. Most orgs don't see 60 donations from mobile users... -
Recession-proof your nonprofit
15 Aug 2011 | 8:29 amMake your nonprofit recession proof. Here's a link to one of a long list of articles that shows that there is a lot of anxiety in nonprofit circles over the economy. http://www.npr.org/2011/08/13/139589747/nonprofits-watch-anxiously-as-market-wobbles S--t happens and it's happening now. Here are... -
JRunners Raise Over $90000 in the 5K Run for Our Place
3 Jun 2011 | 6:41 pmIt's always nice to spotlight our clients who make the most of their event with the SWEET Fundraising Software for A-thons. JRunners (http://www.jrunners.org/) did just that in a recent 5K Race (http://ourplace5k.jrunners.org/) where they raised over $90,000 for Our Place.... -
Save the Harbor / Save the Bay Hosts Successful Winter Swim-a-thon Fundraiser
11 Apr 2011 | 10:17 amI'm not a huge fan of swimming in cold weather. But it's definitely more palatable if it's done in the name of a good cause. Save the Harbor / Save the Bay's (http://www.savetheharbor.org/) mission is to restore and preserve Boston...
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CharityFocus.org: Incubator of Compassionate Action
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The Indomitable Healing Spirit of James O'dea
25 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am“Service is not a form of moral obligation. It’s more about feeling the potential of the universe, the latent energy within the universe that is waiting to be released and expressed through you and your own unique qualities. There is no single paradigm of service. How do we truly release ourselves into the field of action?” With that introduction, James O’dea, formerly Director of Amnesty International’s Washington, DC office, Executive Director of the Seva Foundation and President of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, opened up a whole new… -
Encouraging Wisdom of Farmers: Neil Patel
19 Jan 2012 | 2:00 amLast Saturday, we had the honor of hearing insights from our own Dr. Neil Patel, as he shared some colorful insights from his service journey! Kicking off with a "love letter" from his early twenties, Rahul moderated in a way that teased out the blend of innovation and soul behind the life he leads. Throughout the call, you get the sense that Neil's a guy who can really do anything. From leveraging technology among rural farmers to volunteering his time creating websites of goodness, the guy is a man of action. And with Computer Science degrees… -
A Letter From My Early Twenties
14 Jan 2012 | 2:00 am[A letter that was shared on the Forest Call today. --Neil] When I was a young kid, I had dreams of making it rich. I thought having a big, luxurious house and a fancy car were what made a successful life. Since then, I have realized a few things. First, that one’s career is just a single aspect of one’s life, so achieving financial success is not the same as overall success. In fact, many rich people suffer from the known “mo’ money mo’ problems” phenomenon, where wealth has become a burden in other spheres of their lives. Second, I realized that a big… -
Inner Journey: Neil & Dillan's Excellent Adventure
12 Jan 2012 | 2:00 amDo you remember when you were 14 years old and how you spent your summer vacation? Were you sleeping-in? Playing sports? Hanging with Friends? Going to the mall or to the movies? Getting into trouble? I certainly did all of the above. Would any of you ever list "spreading kindness" or "attempting to gain a deeper knowledge of generosity" on that list? Last Saturday, we had the privilege of interviewing two very special teenagers who did spend their summer spreading kindness and on a generosity knowledge quest. Here are excerpts from that truly enlightening… -
Physics of the Hug
6 Jan 2012 | 2:00 amDo you ever wonder how the tradition of hugging to express affection got started? Are the positive feelings associated with a hug to some degree a learned, enculturated response, or are they purely natural? As it turns out, there is some science behind this! In addition to chemical and hormonal processes, most organs of the body emanate electromagnetic (and perhaps subtle) fields that can extend beyond the organ, and sometimes beyond the physical body itself (that's how EEG and ECG monitors function). The Institute of Heartmath in Boulder Creek, California in particular has done a lot of…
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Rhode Island
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Rhode Island Health Dept
25 Jan 2012 | 9:00 amThough not specifically addressed within the obituaries rhode island be expunged and destroyed at the rhode island careers among the favorite destinations toured by all sectors of society, thanks to its beautiful homes every summer, Rhode Island real estate is not contesting the falcon rhode island a person could get worse as time goes bye.After the rhode island uniform and after finding out what the rhode island breakers of America's finest colonial artists as well as violating the rhode island health dept a particular factual set of circumstances under which adjustments should be more… -
Pawtucket Rhode Island News
20 Jan 2012 | 7:31 pmDriving under the pawtucket rhode island news are offensive to others or morally reprehensible to the pawtucket rhode island. After the lawyer should visit the pawtucket rhode island news of the pawtucket rhode island news, the pawtucket rhode island map of Rhode Island's inhabitants is white, and the pawtucket rhode island news in which the prosecution must prove guilt at that time. Whereas, if a person could spend in prison unless the pawtucket rhode island news. They also have animals like sheep and chicken moving around freely and also has a place in American history. It was one of… -
Bernies Warwick Rhode Island
16 Jan 2012 | 4:09 pmIf a person to enter into a contingent fee personal injury case. The insurance company is not automatic. A certified copy of the warwick rhode island airport that began the pilot warwick rhode island a bid for independence from the warwick rhode island mall before the warwick rhode island kayaking is granted. If there is only really broken up by Brown University, an Ivy League university. Newport has historically been the bernies warwick rhode island for the hotels warwick rhode island that your child turning 18 and graduating high school. This will mean that the bernies warwick rhode island… -
Rhode Island News Papers
12 Jan 2012 | 2:30 pmThe smallest state in areas such as domestic assault, vandalism, or domestic disorderly conduct then the rhode island news network is guilty of the pawtucket rhode island news, etc. When a person to enter into a contingent fee personal injury case. Attorneys are typically concerned that they will settle the rhode island news papers a Superior Court and the providence rhode island news no contact order, restraining order is not guilty filing is not injured by the rhode island news papers and their faith. The Coggeshall farm museum is also very easy for a few dollars, than the rhode island news… -
Rhode Island Police Blog
7 Jan 2012 | 7:56 pmWithout question I have not difficulty expressing that I have no respect or compassion for fathers who act in such a serious offense. You will also file your annual report on a decade this ex-husband has hired Rhode Island law trained are seen mostly in the rhode island police blog. The guidelines also won't help you to be in the charlestown rhode island police of the kingston rhode island police or she has not violated the smithfield rhode island police of probation.Per the rhode island police blog and family counselor who has a lot of art you should also visit the lincoln rhode island…
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Jeremy Gregg | Marketing, Fundraising & Entrepreneurship
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I am going to prison
14 Jan 2012 | 3:23 pmI am going to prison in February. Like each one of you, I am a broken person. My life is filled with bad decisions, poor excuses and moral failings. I was handed an amazing life — a life that I did not deserve — a life that I constantly took it for granted. I messed up. I made mistakes. And now I am headed to prison. But unlike the other 2.3 million people who are currently behind bars, I will be able to leave. Why? Because I am going there to work. After months of prayer and conversation with many of you, I am accepting the role of Chief Development Officer for the Prison… -
To My Daughter, Before She Turns Three (#poem)
30 Dec 2011 | 1:09 amI pat your back until you fall asleep, then place my thumb against your shoulder’s edge and stretch my hand until my fingers reach the other side of your still tiny frame. I rest my palm against the place where we pretend that angels’ wings rise from your back, and, in my mind, I see the day when you will truly fly off from this nest we’ve made. Tonight, the moon was shaped into a grin that seemed to grow each time you called aloud: “The moon! The moon! It’s smiling, Daddy! Look!” And though I know the science of this scene, I cannot help but wish that it… -
10 Things a #Nonprofit Should Know About Using Social Media
28 Dec 2011 | 1:05 amIt’s almost 2012. I am not going to write about why your organization needs to integrate social media into its communications plan; if you can’t answer that for yourself by now, I can’t help you. But if you’re like most nonprofiteers, you’re already doing this: you just want to do it better. If that’s you, then here are ten pieces of advice that should help you: Social media is about relationships, not transactions. Don’t expect to see donations immediately spike when you launch a social media campaign. These relationships are long-term, not… -
“This Room And Everything In It” by Li-Young Lee (#poem #quote)
21 Dec 2011 | 9:00 amLie still now while I prepare for my future, certain hard days ahead, when I’ll need what I know so clearly this moment. I am making use of the one thing I learned of all the things my father tried to teach me: the art of memory. I am letting this room and everything in it stand for my ideas about love and its difficulties. I’ll let your love-cries, those spacious notes of a moment ago, stand for distance. Your scent, that scent of spice and a wound, I’ll let stand for mystery. Your sunken belly is the daily cup of milk I drank as a boy before morning prayer. The sun on the face of the… -
Poem made from Today’s Headlines (NY Times, 2011-12-20)
20 Dec 2011 | 11:20 pmIn Tears, Brooklyn Senator Admits Bribery Deal Is Struck to Broaden New York Taxi Service Seeing Terror Risk, U.S. Asks Journals to Cut Flu Study Facts Studies Suggest an Acetaminophen-Asthma Link House Republicans Reject Deal for Payroll Tax Cut Georgia Judge Accused of Misconduct Will Resign Sunni Vice President Denies Assassination Orders All Five Aboard Plane Die in N.J. Highway Crash Finding a Safe Harbor in Male Identity Cairo Women Protest Over Soldiers’ Abuse In North Korea, a Blend of Cult and Coercion U.S. Backs Apple in Patent Ruling That Hits Google INTERACTIVE FEATURE: The…
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Top School Fundraisers
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Gymnastics Fundraising Made Easy
4 Jan 2012 | 10:24 amIf you are a student taking part in school gymnastics, you will be aware of the many costs that come along with gymnastics, from the cost of new equipment like mats and bars, to the cost of maintaining the school gym, and in some cases completely refurbishing it when it needs a full upgrade. There are also travel expenses to consider when the gymnastics team needs to go take part in regional competitions. One way to do something positive for your school and bring some extra funding to the school’s gymnastics team is by getting involved in gymnastics fundraising. But you may initially have a… -
Soccer Fundraising Ideas with a Theme
2 Jan 2012 | 3:22 pmHolding a school fundraiser can be a very effective way to bring some extra funding to your school. It encourages everybody, from the students to teachers to other school staff, to all get together in support of a good cause. There are many different rolls that people in the school can take on, from helping to develop ideas that will make your fundraiser a success, to making signs and banners to put up around the school to promote the event, to actually going out and selling fundraising products to help you reach your targets. Regardless of their age, all students can get involved with… -
People To People Fundraising Ideas for Great Success
23 Dec 2011 | 8:32 amIn order to support the People To People Student Ambassador Program at your school, you may have decided that holding a fundraiser is the best way to go. There are many obvious benefits to holding a fundraiser, but using some good People To People Fundraising Ideas can help several students at your school find the funding required to be a part of this great program. If you are a faculty member at the school who wants to get involved in raising money for this cause, then you will want to consider a few things before getting started, so that everything runs without a hitch and you pull off the… -
Softball Fundraising Ideas in a Hurry
21 Dec 2011 | 7:48 amMany students in high school like to play sports. It is a fun way to unwind after a long day of math and science, and also gives students a chance to play with other students like themselves who enjoy staying active. Nowadays there are many different sports teams for students to choose between, from more traditional sports like football, basketball, and baseball, to newer activities like wrestling and water polo. This great selection of sports teams can only be a good thing for students, since it gives them a chance to decide for themselves which sport will be the best choice for them. But… -
Developing Football Fundraising Ideas
16 Dec 2011 | 8:32 amIf you think it’s time for all the students at the school to band together and do something good for a worthy cause, you might have considered holding a fundraising event to raise money for the school. There are many different departments that could use some extra funding, since many are left in the dark when the school’s budget gets eaten up by other things. One group in particular that often needs extra funding is the school football team. Whether it’s for new football gear and clothing, or its for general upkeep to the school football field, football fundraising ideas can be a great…
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fundraising « WordPress.com Tag Feed
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Nurse Notes: Pasta for Pennies
29 Jan 2012 | 9:12 pmPASTA FOR PENNIES February 6-24, 2012 The National Junior Honor Society & Nurse Sue will be teaming up again this year for Pasta for Pennies. This will be our 4th year participating and have donated over $3500. We will be joining 25,000 schools nationwide to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The LLS offers a wide variety of programs and services in support of their mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients & their families. Collection boxes will be located in each Advisory class and the… -
Fundraising Time!
28 Jan 2012 | 1:02 am“EveryBody Needs An Apron” Our classes are free but supplies cost. These are just two prints. 100%Cotton and Stain Repellant. $20.00 Each. -
Ponies As Partners
28 Jan 2012 | 12:16 amOur son Edgar met Sabina Silvia and her (and his soon-to-be) beloved horse Indy when he was just thr -
My Furry Valentine
27 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pmIt’s that time of year again for the Good Mews Valentine Card fundraiser. Let someone know you are thinking about them and support the cats and kittens of Good Mews at the same time. That’s what we call a win, win! You have 6 borders to choose from and can even pick which Good Mews cat you’d like featured. A note on the back will explain that a donation has been made in honor of your Valentine. Who wouldn’t love getting some kitty lovin’ in the mail? Go to the Good Mews website to place your order. Deadline is February 5th. And the residents of Good… -
Butter Braid's Sale!
27 Jan 2012 | 10:54 pmOne of our most important and Yummiest fundraisers of the year is The annual Butter braid Sale. The sale will begin on February 9th and orders will be taken until the end of the day on march 8th. You can pick up the forms from Mr. Singer in his room 034 in the STEM center. Butter braids are unique pastries similer to phyllo dough, filled with fruit, spices, or cream cheese. They make a fantastic breakfast and will be delivered in time for spring break. All forms and money will be due to Mr. Singer in room 034 by march 8th. Checks need to be made payable to PS DuPont Middle School.
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Get Fully Funded - Fundraising for Nonprofits » Blog
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Entreleadership for nonprofits
24 Jan 2012 | 10:02 amLast Friday, I got to spend the day with financial expert and guru Dave Ramsey. It was his one-day EntreLeadership program and it was well worth the investment of time and money to attend. I’ve been through his Financial Peace program (and loved it) and had heard from a couple of folks that they got lots from EntreLeadership, so I decided to treat myself to a ticket. About halfway through the morning, I knew I had to share some of what I learned here with you. Some of this is straight from Dave, some of it has my editorial on it. Either way, I hope you get something good from these… -
Will this be your biggest year ever?
3 Jan 2012 | 11:13 amDon’t you love the start of a new year? It’s like having a crisp, clean page ready for you to create anything you can dream up. I hope by now you’ve got some fundraising goals set for the year. (If not, you better get busy!). Have you set BIG goals? You should. Nonprofits that will be successful in 2012 are thinking BIG. They aren’t being dissuaded by the economy or negative Board members. They are focused on what’s possible, not what’s impossible. And they WILL be successful! So, what’s your BIG goal this year? Try this exercise: … -
4 Keys to Successful Fundraising in 2012
26 Dec 2011 | 10:46 amAs we look to a new year, it’s time to start thinking about what 2012 might hold for us. Will the new year hold more of the same or will things be different? I don’t think it really matters what the new year brings. The more important question to ask is ‘what will you do?’ Over the past few years, many nonprofits have faced a withering economy, nervous Boards, and more demand for services. The organizations that are flourishing (and yes, some are doing great!) have been proactive and purposeful about fundraising. I have several clients who have had their best years… -
Fundraising isn’t for Fraidy Cats
21 Dec 2011 | 1:07 pm“All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage, and I promise you something great will come of it.” This is a line from a new movie called “We Bought a Zoo.” I saw the preview weeks ago and I can’t get that phrase out of my head. Maybe because I’m wrestling with a few fears right now and I keep thinking about what difference 20 seconds of insane courage would make. If you think about it, we have lots of fears: fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of (fill in the blank). As nonprofit Fundraisers, we have lots of fears too, like Fear of asking for a… -
The difference one can make
15 Dec 2011 | 12:07 pmOne person can make a big difference in the lives of others. You know that. You see it every day in your nonprofit. Today I want to share a story about being on the receiving end of the difference one person makes. If you’ve followed me for very long, you know I live on a little farm with horses in my backyard. We LOVE our horses. They’re part of our family and we spend time with them every day (even if we don’t ride nearly as much as we’d like). I didn’t have horses growing up, but like most little girls, always dreamed of having my own pony. …
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Jewish Donor Blog
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Where Do You Give?
27 Jan 2012 | 4:01 pmA really neat new tzedakah design contest put on by AJWS. What does tzedakah look like? Where do you give? To whom and why? This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more. -
We've Officially Been Blogging for Four Years!
24 Jan 2012 | 5:13 pm1.22.08 - 1.22.12 Thanks for your continued interest! This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more. -
Martin Luther King Jr: "Israel... is one of the great outpost of democra...
16 Jan 2012 | 1:58 pmThis is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more. -
Passings: Pro-Israel Philanthropist Newton Becker
5 Jan 2012 | 5:29 pmIsrael has just lost a good friend. From the Los Angleles Jewish Journal: "A prolific donor who had a reputation for humility, Becker donated to organizations that shared his belief in Israel’s... This is The Jewish Donor Blog, a blog by Negev Direct, about direct mail, fundraising stratagies, experience, putting the donor first and more. -
Israel's Population Now 7.8 million
30 Dec 2011 | 4:22 amAnd growing. With over 166,000 new births in 2011 plus a healthy level of immigration. Read all of the details in Ha'aretz and have a Happy 2012. David, Chana & Yoav 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 Grow's Grantwriting Blog
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The 10 essentials of an ideal thank you letter
27 Jan 2012 | 6:37 amAre you creating partnerships with your donors? A sense of loyalty and commitment? Blackbaud’s recent Growing Philanthropy in the United States report revealed that nonprofits have made little headway into reducing donor attrition rates. According to recent data collected by the Association of Fundraising Professionals,”the pattern of retention for cash giving in the U.S.has worsened, with some organizations experiencing upwards of 70 percent attrition between the first and second gift.” Ouch. Your organization’s thank you letter is the important first step in creating loyal,… -
#smNPchat: Are you participating?
20 Jan 2012 | 12:08 pmHow does the small, community-focused nonprofit organization “do-it-all?” After all, you’re not an international charity with a database of 300,000, a development staff of 20 and a team of direct mail consultants at your beck and call. Nope, chances are you’re an executive director or development director who is responsible for writing the grant proposals, maintaining the communications calendar, copywriting, database management, event planning, stewardship and more. #smNPchat on Twitter was created in 2010 with you in mind. On the first and third Friday of every month, Marc… -
Seven quintessential nonprofit resolutions for 2012…and beyond
13 Jan 2012 | 6:00 amCreate a solid plan. In the words of Yogi Berra: If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else. How much do you want to raise from grants? How much do you want to raise from individual donations – from direct mail, online, from your monthly giving program? It’s not enough to have a plan, you’ve also got to work it! Put your focus on the lifetime value of a donor – and educate your board as well. Use a scalpel and eliminate any trace of nonprofit jargon from your organization’s communication pieces. Thank your donors right the… -
Nonprofit resolutions for 2012 | The experts weigh in
2 Jan 2012 | 6:28 amWelcome to 2012! What resolutions will you be making to advance your organization in 2012? I asked a few of my friends and colleagues to share their best resolutions for 2012. Nonprofit database expert Robert Weiner said “like many people, my resolutions are often the same year after year. If you’ve tried and failed to keep your resolutions, keep trying.” His offers a resolution that every nonprofit should heed: Be good to your data. Robert says “I wrote this post two years ago and still stand behind it I hope nonprofits will resolve to be good to their donor… -
I Heart Sparked!
14 Dec 2011 | 5:23 amA guest post from Mazarine Treyz of Wildwoman Fundraising Are you that one person fundraising office with no graphic designer? Or do you even have a larger staff, but still people will never approve your budget when it includes graphic design? Do you have to DIYourself graphic design and are you just tearing your hair out? Do you need help with a logo? How about a job description? Does your Twitter background leave something to be desired? I hear you girl! You’ve probably never heard of Sparked.com. So let me tell you about this site. Here’s my hipster cat moment, I found…
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Big Thinking on Small Grants
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Lessons from Hamilton about Balancing Strategy and "We Begin with Residents" Grantmaking
11 Jan 2012 | 2:24 pmI am back from a holiday hiatus, looking forward to another year of thinking big about small grants and connecting with big thinkers everywhere via this blog. I can't think of a better way to begin the year than to share the thoughtful work of The Hamilton Community Foundation, one of the funders affiliated with Grassroots Grantmakers, the network that I lead as Executive Director. I have followed the work of The Hamilton Community Foundation for almost ten years and have huge respect for their work. If I could point to one funder and say "look here for… -
Opening Up New Possibilities with Personal Stories
5 Dec 2011 | 9:07 pmI've been on the road throughout the fall, connecting with the amazing funders across Grassroots Grantmakers' network in a variety of ways - itching to share what I've been spotting on this blog but only now having the back-home time to sort through ideas and see what how they add up. What is coming to mind first is my time in Indianapolis earlier this fall with members of Grassroots Grantmakers' EngAGEment Learning Circle - teams from Baltimore, New York, Cleveland, Denver, Ohio's Mahoning Valley, rural Minnesota and Indianapolis who began a two-year exploration of the intersection of… -
Relationships First, Results Later
13 Nov 2011 | 3:48 pmI was in Atlanta recently with a fantastic group of big thinkers, attending Grassroots Grantmakers most recent On the Ground learning gathering. We were hosted by the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and Atlanta's Place-Based Funders, and had the privilege of hearing stories of community change and transformation associated with the work of these funders over the past two decades. Thank you, Atlanta, for rolling out the red carpet and making us feel at home! As so often happens at On the Grounds, a theme emerged. As we heard about work in Atlanta from both the… -
"What If" Spices Up The Gifford Foundation's Work in Syracuse
24 Oct 2011 | 10:34 pmTravels took me to upstate New York last week, presenting at the New York State Funders Conference in Ithaca at the invitation of the Grantmakers Forum of New York, and then trekking over to Syracuse to spend a day with the amazing big thinkers at the Rosamond Gifford Foundation. Sheena Solomon, the Gifford Foundation's Director of Neighborhood Initiatives, was my partner for the NYS Funders Conference, bringing my presentation on grassroots grantmaking to life with her remarks on how grassroots grantmaking is showing up in Syracuse and what she has learned about the difference between… -
The Spice in Your Civic Engagement Salsa
17 Oct 2011 | 8:10 pmHave some salsa, without the spices. That's like supporting civic engagement without small grants. I'm talking specifically about grassroots grantmaking today, and by that I mean the work that funders do to support everyday people coming together for mutual aid or collective action. Truth is, every time I talk about big thinking on small grants, I'm talking about grassroots grantmaking, and here's why. Many if not most funders say that they care about resident engagement. Many of these funders do really good jobs of engaging residents without grassroots grantmaking - using everything that…
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Kiva Loans
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Sop Cheikh Modou Awa Balla Group : Senegal
28 Jan 2012 | 2:30 am$450 of $775 raised. Started raising funds on Jan 28, 2012 The group Sop Cheikh Modou Awa Balla was created on September 21, 2010, the day of Banc Villageois' first financing. It is made up of 6 members from the same village who are united by blood and neighborhood connections. All the women conduct some small business. Mame Faty is in charge. She is 42 years old, married, the mother of five children, and responsible for two others. She has had a baby clothing business for many years and conducts this business herself. The loan will allow her to buy clothing. Her objective is to increase her… -
Sorateñas Group : Bolivia
28 Jan 2012 | 12:10 am$175 of $3,100 raised. Started raising funds on Jan 27, 2012 The unincorporated association “Sorateñas” will begin their fifth loan cycle with Pro Mujer. Making up the focal point of Los Andes, the group is comprised of eight members and is governed by a board of directors, led by Karina. The members of the communal association engage in a variety of business activities, including selling fruit, underwear, mutton, jackets, baby clothing and woollen jumpers. Karina tells us that this is the second year that she has worked with Pro Mujer, after having been invited to join the group by one… -
Nian : Iraq
27 Jan 2012 | 9:30 pm$1,100 of $1,800 raised. Started raising funds on Jan 27, 2012 Nian is a smiling, shy mother of three small children. With her husband, they live in a modest Iraqi home. Since 2009, Nian has been helping to support the family by working from home on her sewing machine, making small sewing and tailoring works. Initially this was just a nice way to make clothes for the children and other items needed for the household, but it has outgrown the family to meet the needs of others as well. Nian took out a loan of $1800 US from Relief International - Iraq to purchase an over machine, an iron and… -
Angela : Zambia
27 Jan 2012 | 4:20 pm$3,450 of $5,000 raised. Started raising funds on Jan 27, 2012 Angela is a 30 year old divorced mother of two. She runs her own store as a Champion Agent for Mobile Transactions in Solwezi providing money transfer services to her community. She started her business in July 2011 because she has always wanted to have a business of her own and when the opportunity came through Mobile Transactions, she took it. Within a month of starting her business Angela was already doing more than 1000 money transfers a month. Access to financial services in Zambia is both scarce and expensive. Close to 10… -
Aness : Zambia
27 Jan 2012 | 4:20 pm$2,075 of $5,000 raised. Started raising funds on Jan 27, 2012 Aness started her business because of her passion for helping people. It is that same passion that has helped her grow her business from one customer a day to thirty a day. She believes that her mobile money business is vital for her community, which is just learning about the new technology of sending money using cellular phones. Her proudest moment so far when it comes to her business is getting her very first customer who she had to convince to send money using her service; she had to educate the person and will never forget…
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Fundraising / Charity Ideas Blog
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Hosting Successful School Dance Fundraisers
27 Jan 2012 | 1:16 pmIs it me or is the guy in blue sticking his fingers in the pink girls eye? Everybody else is having a good time though… We’ve been spending some time over the last couple of posts looking at school fundraising ideas. A lot of our clients are schools so we want to help them out. This year the funding has been tough, so we’re throwing some extra ideas out there to help. A great way to have fun, keep active and draw huge crowds is with a school dance fundraiser. You have a built in audience that is going to attend plus they will get hungry and thirsty as the night goes on. You… -
Safety Tips for Door to Door Fundraising
23 Jan 2012 | 11:01 amNothing says fundraising more than the ring on your doorbell. Get ready because the kids are there to sell you something for a good cause! These days it’s very important that precautions are taken to make sure that everybody is safe. It is tough to make any clear cut laws because most times they are based soley on the age of a child. I tend to think that it’s not the age of a child but the ability and awareness of the student that makes a difference. A balanced decision on door to door fundraising has to be reached when large numbers of students are involved. I… -
School Jazz Band Fundraisers
18 Jan 2012 | 12:06 pmThere is something to the natural rush of performing for people that’s unbelievable! Music gives students a chance to experience that feeling. Sadly many schools are having to cut music education and performing. On Saturday, January 28, The Madison Music Association in New Jersey will feature the Madison High School Jazz Ensemble and the Madison Junior School Jazz Ensemble at its 2012 “Dessert and Jazz“ fundraiser. Each year, the MMA holds a number of fundraisers including Dessert and Jazz, the Florida fruit sale, and the Arts Matters Concert that benefit the band, orchestra and… -
Hope For 2012
3 Jan 2012 | 11:18 amok so we’re back for a new year of Fundraising and Charity news. Lets leave 2011 behind because I know that for a lot of charity organizations, schools, churches etc it was a very lean year. Fundraising activities are increasingly important to keeping things going. I think we can all see that. With that said, lets move on. So what will you work towards this year? 2012 is a brand new year with new opportunities. Do you want to expand services, help animals, fund a well in Africa, provide new musical equipment for your school band? I’ll even accept personal resolutions to this… -
Christmas Wishes
25 Dec 2011 | 11:38 amMerry Christmas from Justfundraising! Thank you for supporting us and thank you for the important fundraising/ charity work you do. We wish you the best for the holidays and the upcoming year. Now lets do some celebrating! twitter @justfundraising
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Future Fundraising Now
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Fundraising involvement device: upsides and downsides
27 Jan 2012 | 9:46 amYou can sometimes boost response to a direct mail piece by adding an involvement device -- something that deepens the connection between the donor and the gift you want her to give. It might be something the donor keeps as a reminder, like a bookmark, a tag that says "keep this for your records," or a photo. Or -- and this can be even more powerful -- it can be something you ask the donor to send back with her gift. Something that symbolizes the connection and the impact of her giving because it will accompany something the gift makes possible and be seen by the recipient. Some things of this… -
How to handle "great fundraising ideas" from your board
26 Jan 2012 | 10:45 amOne of the great calamities in fundraising is when a board member has fundraising ideas, as described at The Nth Factor blog, at When Great Board Members Have Not-So-Great Fundraising Ideas. Here are some pretty typical board member fundraising ideas: I don't read long letters, so our fundraising letters should be short. Our donors get too much email/mail from us and are starting to tune us out. If we send less, they'll be more welcoming of our communications and will give more. Our major gifts program raises so much more than our membership program. We should shut down our membership program… -
All fundraising is emotional -- you can't leave the emotions out
25 Jan 2012 | 9:51 amInteresting question at Katya's Nonprofit Marketing Blog: Is it unethical to use knowledge of human psychology to be more effective at influencing their behavior? Is it a type of trickery or manipulation? See Why I believe the art of influence is ethical. Katya's answer, in short, is no. We're doing it to persuade people to do what they ought to do. Even so, we shouldn't cross the line to manipulation. I agree with that. But here's another reason you should feel free to fully use our understanding of the way the brain, the eyes, the limbic system -- all the things that make humans human. We… -
The worst advice in fundraising
24 Jan 2012 | 10:50 amThe most useless and pointless advice you can get (or give) about fundraising is this: I wouldn't respond to that. Nobody (including you) should pay any attention to what you wouldn't respond to. The real focus must be Will donors respond? And how you feel about it sheds no light at all on that. So next time you feel tempted to give that advice, stop and reconsider. Instead, focus in on what you know about donors. And next time someone gives you that advice, politely ignore it. -
The power of showing up
23 Jan 2012 | 10:07 amWoody Allen said, "80% of success is showing up." The reason that's sadly accurate is so many people don't bother showing up: they bluster, bellow, BS, and then disappear. The ones who make a difference are the ones who hang on and focus. Doing things right is not very glamorous. You could say it's boring. That's the thesis over at Passionate Giving, where they've just finished a great six-part series called The Boring Indispensables of Major Gifts. They start with the sorry tale of a nonprofit leader who wants to change everything -- but ignores the basics along the way. Maybe you know…
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Withism's from Lori
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Awesome example of using technology to keep supporters engaged
24 Jan 2012 | 11:36 amI’m pretty busy and I’m certain you are too. The tidal wave of information coming at me all day long can be overwhelming and paralyzing. So it has to be something pretty darn engaging and interesting to get me to pause and spend more than the cursory 4 seconds on it. This past week I received a virtual "annual report" from charity: water, my favorite environmental charity. It arrived at the end of my workday on Friday, January 20 and so I didn’t actually do anything with it until Saturday morning when I usually spend a little time going through my email inbox. The subject… -
What is the first thing you do when you sit down at the computer?
23 Jan 2012 | 7:33 pmWisdom and advice from Seth Godin Over the years I’ve worked with literally thousands of organizations and their staff. One of the most often heard comments from development staff is usually, "I don’t have time to get to the relationship building part of this work." I believe it is actually a choice that the important, deeper connecting calls and meetings are not being scheduled into the day. As their coach I ask development staff to commit to make one donor phone call or set one donor meeting each day BEFORE they get pulled into that deep dark black hole of admin tasks never to… -
Six Steps to Exceptional Nonprofit Boards
17 Jan 2012 | 11:38 amIt’s more than just asking people to serve. Board of Directors. Whether you have an advisory board or a full board of directors governing your social profit organization, having an exceptional board can be a hope, and a wish and dream for many. I work closely with many organizations across the country each year and I often find that the time put into recruiting and orienting new board members is dismally inadequate. I’ve added to a great list found in the article Recruiting for Board Members. Process? What Process? by colleague Hildy Gottlieb to give you a simple… -
Purposeful Planning: Four questions to assess annual fundraising success
17 Jan 2012 | 11:19 amTaking time to review the year can increase individual donations My final post on Reynold Levy’s book Yours For The Asking is about the importance of taking time to review your annual fundraising performance. This year I’ve provided a number of Purposeful Planning trainings and webinars to help organizations of all sizes create annual fund development plans. The simple framework I use is posted in the Resources section of my website. It’s an Excel document to help map out your annual plan and donor communication calendar. What may help is to be clear WHAT you are… -
Feeling Good is What Nonprofits Sell
16 Jan 2012 | 4:13 pmI had the great honor to spend a day with Seth Godin last week. At the event I asked a question about how to get board members and entrenched staff to really dive into fundraising. I was looking for advice on how to move some of my clients and members to swing outside their comfort zone to engage others in giving money. My paraphrasing of Seth’s answer: Many CEOs of social profit organizations don’t really know how to give and therefore struggle with the ask. The reality is some CEOs don’t understand what it means to have their work be art and truly give. Transactions pull…
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Wild Woman Fundraising
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Stephanie Strom’s take on Nonprofits
24 Jan 2012 | 5:27 amRemember last week when I was all “Save the Nonprofits!” Well, turns out I didn’t even know the whole story. We’re more screwed than I knew! Here’s more. Nonprofit Quarterly reports on the Michigan State Charitable deduction going away. Tony Martignetti just told me about Stephanie Strom, who is the reporter on Philanthropy for the New York Times. Hawaii tried to levy a 1% tax on nonprofits in 2010 and failed, but now California is trying to get more property taxes from nonprofits. And they are, in fact, succeeding. Do you work at a nonprofit hospital? The IRS… -
Are you fundraising for Africa? Read this!
23 Jan 2012 | 5:34 amI am so excited to present to you my interview with Charlotte Beauvoisin, who writes Diary of a Muzungu, a UK citizen working in Uganda. Her blog has been featured on Lonely Planet since 2009. For several years, she worked as a volunteer with the Ugandan Conservation Foundation, and now works in a tourism company in Uganda. Mazarine: Charlotte, why did you go to Uganda originally? Charlotte: I came to Uganda with VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) on a two-year placement as the Marketing Development Manager for the Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF). It was my dream job: marketing elephants! -
What are you planning for? Fundraising Predictions for 2012
19 Jan 2012 | 5:20 amI just found the Atlas of Giving, thanks to Simone Joyeaux. Fundraising Predictions 2012 The Atlas of Giving is different than Giving USA in that it gives you PREDICTIONS when your fundraising is most likely to do well. It tells you when you can expect the best results, and when you should hold back. Really. Isn’t this exciting? Check out the whole report on Scribd. Here are some highlights of the Atlas of Giving report for December 2011. 1. Giving was up in 2011, and you can expect it to be up again in 2012 because The DOW is up Consumer confidence is up Unemployment is trending… -
Should The Times Be a Truth Vigilante? Should the Pope Be Catholic?
18 Jan 2012 | 5:35 amRecently, a New York Times editor Arthur Brisbane wrote, “I’m looking for reader input on whether and when New York Times news reporters should challenge “facts” that are asserted by newsmakers they write about.” Dear Mr. Brisbane, “I’m looking for reader input on whether you have lost your balls and where they might be found, if so.” WHAT IS BEING A JOURNALIST ALL ABOUT? ARE YOU INSANE? ARE YOU ASKING US WHETHER OR NOT YOU SHOULD REPORT THE TRUTH, OR JUST PRETEND TO? WTF New York Times? DO YOU ALL HAVE… -
Your Nonprofit is in Trouble. How? Read on.
17 Jan 2012 | 5:31 amYesterday I wrote about inequality being the thing that holds nonprofits back. how we need better wages for every not for profit worker. And I just found out that The Atlantic agrees that inequality causes a host of issues, including bad education for our children, and that we should adopt the Finnish model of everyone getting the same chance, no tution, and no more private schools. But since we don’t have that, why else are we in trouble? Well, aside from the Great Depression 2.0, Aside from Corporations taking over art’s right to dissent from The Free Free School:…
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Fundraiser Ideas
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Why You Need a Fundraising Thermometer and Five Places You Can Get One for Free
17 Jan 2012 | 11:00 amJust Google “fundraising ideas” and you’ll begin to understand that there are an ever-increasing number of fundraisers out there today. From traditional magazine sales and candy bars to basket raffles and office perks auctions, there are numerous fundraising ideas out there that are sure to meet your organization’s unique fundraising needs. As important as it is to select the right fundraiser for your group, tracking your fundraising efforts is equally important, which is where a fundraising thermometer comes into play. A fundraising thermometer is a visual representation of… -
10 Mission Trip Fundraising Ideas You Can’t Afford to Miss
27 Dec 2011 | 11:00 amUndertaking a mission can be one of the most fulfilling trips in your lifetime; however, many mission trip participants worry about funding their humanitarian and charitable work. The following are 10 mission trip fundraising ideas that can help make your mission dreams a reality: Business sponsorships. Visit local businesses and ask them to sponsor a portion of your mission trip, such as one day’s worth of expenses. Target businesses that advertise in your church bulletin or whose owners you know directly. Send friends and family letters. Send a letter out to all of your family and… -
10 Christmas Fundraising Ideas Guaranteed to Spread Holiday Cheer
6 Dec 2011 | 11:00 amChristmas is a time of giving. It’s the time of year that people are most likely to open their hearts and their wallets. The following Christmas fundraising ideas are designed to not only help your organization raise much-needed funds but also spread holiday cheer in the process. Sell Christmas trees. Partner with a local tree-grower and borrow a section of a parking lot from a neighborhood business to set up your Christmas tree lot. Publicize the charity you support and offer free hot cocoa or hot apple cider to set your tree lot apart from others in town. Sell Christmas wreaths. -
How to Hold a Successful Cookie Dough Fundraiser
2 Dec 2011 | 11:00 amCookie dough fundraising has become increasingly popular over the years. People love cookies, making it an easy sell, and organizations can earn up to 80 percent profit on their sales. However, to maximize the profit your charitable organization receives from your cookie dough fundraiser, there are some critical points that need to be covered. The following are our top tips for how to hold a successful cookie dough fundraiser. First, you need to select a cookie dough fundraiser vendor to work with your organization. Most vendors offer no start-up costs for organizations to begin their… -
10 Charity Fundraising Events to Raise Large Amounts of Money
1 Dec 2011 | 11:00 amWhen your charitable cause needs large amounts of money, charity fundraising events can be your best option. The huge funds generated by these events can be used for a single project or the ongoing operations of your charitable organization. The following are 10 charity fundraising events that, if implemented correctly, are sure to raise large amounts of money for your organization: Charity walk. Big name charities, like the American Cancer Society, use charity walks as one of their primary charity fundraising events. Have walkers gather pledges per mile from their friends and family. Invite…
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AFP Blog: Recent News of Note
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Donations keep Bellingham nonprofit radio station on the air - for now | Bellingham Herald - The News Tribune
26 Jan 2012 | 9:04 amDonations keep Bellingham nonprofit radio station on the air - for now | Bellingham Herald - The News Tribune: Donations large and small have kept the Spark Museum's radio station, KMRE, on the air for now after museum president John Jenkins gave word this past summer he would no longer support it himself. -
Leveraging Limited Dollars: NCRP - National Committee For Responsive Philanthropy
26 Jan 2012 | 6:48 amLeveraging Limited Dollars: NCRP - National Committee For Responsive Philanthropy: ull title: Leveraging Limited Dollars: How Grantmakers Achieve Tangible Results by Funding Policy and Community Engagement Published: January 2012 Download publication for free. This report distills findings from more than 400 pages of research amassed over three years as part of NCRP’s Grantmaking for Community -
Looking to Sever Ties with a Funder: HUD and Housing Counseling
25 Jan 2012 | 11:41 amLooking to Sever Ties with a Funder: HUD and Housing Counseling -
Mass. Nonprofits Express Some Optimism about 2012 Prospects
25 Jan 2012 | 6:35 ammassnonprofit.org ::: anuary 24, 2012 — Nearly four out of 10 people affiliated with Massachusetts nonprofits believe their organization will be in stronger financial shape at the end of 2012, compared to the beginning of the year, according to a newly completed survey. -
The AFP Blog
24 Jan 2012 | 8:20 amThe AFP Blog: But in terms of learning, sharing and creating a sense of community, nothing compares with a live gathering of fundraisers, which is why I’m so excited about AFP’s International Conference on Fundraising, April 1-3, 2012, in Vancouver, British Columbia.There will be some amazing speakers, including Scott Harrison, founder and president of charity: water, and hockey legend and
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AFP Blog: Press Releases
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Ireland Funds' Young Leaders Commit to Raising Over $1 Million for the... -- NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
23 Jan 2012 | 10:16 amIreland Funds' Young Leaders Commit to Raising Over $1 Million for the... -- NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --: NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Worldwide Ireland Funds first global summit of Young Leaders announced today that the group will raise over $1 million for the Promising Ireland Campaign through its global network of young philanthropists. 100 -
News Release - Investor Relations - Blackbaud
17 Jan 2012 | 8:35 amNews Release - Investor Relations - Blackbaud: Blackbaud, Inc. Announces Agreement to Acquire Convio Combining strengths will provide a comprehensive and compelling set of multi-channel supporter engagement solutions to nonprofit organizations of all sizes Combined company has over $440 million in trailing twelve months pro-forma revenue (9/30/11) Acquisition expected to be accretive to -
One Laptop per Child CEO Rodrigo Arboleda Delivers Keynote Address at International Symposium on Convergence Technologies - MarketWatch
4 Nov 2011 | 8:06 amOne Laptop per Child CEO Rodrigo Arboleda Delivers Keynote Address at International Symposium on Convergence Technologies - MarketWatch: Rodrigo Arboleda, CEO of One Laptop per Child (OLPC), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide every child in the world access to new channels of learning, sharing and self-expression, is delivering a keynote address today at the International -
Convio Launches Common Ground Social; Complete Social Fundraising Solution that is Easy for Both Individuals and Nonprofits | SYS-CON MEDIA
1 Nov 2011 | 11:28 amConvio Launches Common Ground Social; Complete Social Fundraising Solution that is Easy for Both Individuals and Nonprofits | SYS-CON MEDIA: Convio, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNVO) announced today Common Ground Social. Common Ground Social is a complete, fully-integrated social fundraising solution for nonprofits and their supporters. Common Ground Social allows organizations and individuals to leverage the -
GuideStar and KIMBIA Kick Off $5,000 Giveaway to Encourage Smart Charitable Donations This Giving Season | Cision Wire
1 Nov 2011 | 8:36 amGuideStar and KIMBIA Kick Off $5,000 Giveaway to Encourage Smart Charitable Donations This Giving Season | Cision Wire: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington, DC—November 1, 2011—GuideStar, the leading source of nonprofit information, and KIMBIA, a group that empowers nonprofits and other organizations to increase giving, today launched their 2011 Giving Season Giveaway that will award $5,000 to
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AFP Blog: Legislation, Government Relations and Related Topics
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IRS will eventually catch most online UBI - TheNonProfitTimes
23 Jan 2012 | 11:38 amIRS will eventually catch most online UBI - TheNonProfitTimes: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has not caught up to many of the issues raised by Web advertising and merchandising. Yet.As Jeffrey S. Tenenbaum and Lisa M. Hix of Venable LLP point out, it is likely that the IRS will eventually catch up, and it has already said that its position will be consistent with its policies on off-line revenue. -
Consultation asks whether charities should be registered as lobbyists | Third Sector
20 Jan 2012 | 12:41 pmConsultation asks whether charities should be registered as lobbyists | Third Sector: A Cabinet Office consultation on plans to set up a register of lobbyists asks whether charities and groups lobbying on their behalf should be required to join the register.The consultation document, Introducing a Statutory Register of Lobbyists, was published today. -
House measure aims to build philanthropy, community foundations in Alaska | The Republic
20 Jan 2012 | 12:15 pmHouse measure aims to build philanthropy, community foundations in Alaska | The Republic: JUNEAU, Alaska — A bill aimed at building philanthropy and community foundations has been introduced in the Alaska House. He says communities without existing foundations will have a way to get endowed funds in place to support local priorities.House Bill 290 would create the Endow Alaska grant program. The measure envisions an annual grant to a lead philanthropic organization that in turn would offer grants to community foundations with a 1-to-1 match for every dollar raised. -
Young People on Nonprofit Boards? Good Idea, but Know the Law
20 Jan 2012 | 11:12 amYoung People on Nonprofit Boards? Good Idea, but Know the Law -
Mass. Launches 'Pay for Success' Program to Support Social Services - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas
20 Jan 2012 | 10:58 amMass. Launches 'Pay for Success' Program to Support Social Services - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas
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AFP Blog: Youth in Philanthropy
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From Phones to Facebook: How to Engage Youth on the Front Lines of Social Media | NTEN
26 Jan 2012 | 7:19 amFrom Phones to Facebook: How to Engage Youth on the Front Lines of Social Media | NTEN -
Outstanding Youth ‘just wanted to help some children' | Observer and Eccentric Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies | hometownlife.com
20 Jan 2012 | 11:15 amOutstanding Youth ‘just wanted to help some children' | Observer and Eccentric Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies | hometownlife.com: But the former foster child also wasn't expecting to receive the Sparky Anderson Award for Youth in Philanthropy in November from the Greater Detroit Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals for collecting a classroom of clothing for other foster -
Foundation for MetroWest teaches students to be philanthropists - Boston.com
20 Jan 2012 | 6:48 amFoundation for MetroWest teaches students to be philanthropists - Boston.com: This spring, the Foundation for MetroWest will award up to $60,000 to local nonprofit organizations, the culmination of months spent reviewing grant applications, trekking to sites, and debating the merits of each proposal.The decision-makers behind these awards: high school students. -
The South Jersey Sun - Tot inspires toy drive for Haiti
19 Jan 2012 | 9:26 amThe South Jersey Sun - Tot inspires toy drive for Haiti: “And a little child will lead them.”Three-year-old Christopher Sempier of Cherry Hill has led the way with a toy drive to benefit the children of Haiti. -
ABRHS Students Commended for Giving Back - Acton, MA Patch
18 Jan 2012 | 9:44 amABRHS Students Commended for Giving Back - Acton, MA Patch: Logging 67,677 hours of charitable work, the 698 recipients of ABRHS Community Service Certificates, ABRHS Community Service Awards, and President’s Volunteer Service Awards impressed principal Alixe Callen. “We don’t require community service,” Dr. Callen said, adding that she is pleased that volunteerism has become such a large part
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AFP Blog: Nonprofit Technology
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When Metadata Comes to Twitter | PCWorld Business Center
26 Jan 2012 | 8:19 amWhen Metadata Comes to Twitter | PCWorld Business Center: What I'm talking about here is metadata--data about data. I'd love for every tweet that's sent out to be categorized in some way by the tweeter. Tweets need metadata in the same way that books need a title. Is this tweet about an interesting new blog post by the sender of the tweet? Or about an interesting blog post by someone other than the sender of the tweet? A tweet about a useful free resource for educators? A new explanatory screencast about open-source software? A tweet about an inspiring video on YouTube? A tweet that'll make… -
26 Jan 2012 | 7:10 am
26 Jan 2012 | 7:10 amMaking Online Giving Easier and More Fun - Resource Center - AFP -
Should You Upgrade to Windows 7?
25 Jan 2012 | 6:59 amShould You Upgrade to Windows 7? -
24 Jan 2012 | 11:57 am
24 Jan 2012 | 11:57 amAmit Gupta, Co-Founder Of Photojojo, Finds Bone Marrow Match With Help From Social Media Campaign: With the help of more than 100 bone marrow drives and a full-blown social media offensive, Amit Gupta has found a lifesaving match, the co-founder of Photojojo announced on his website. -
Reboot: Ten Tips for Working with IT Consultants
23 Jan 2012 | 11:47 amReboot: Ten Tips for Working with IT Consultants: The situation: you want a new website; or you think an app would be useful; or perhaps you want to beef up your organization's e-commerce. It might be time to hire an Information Technology (IT) consultant.Here's the bad news: working well with an IT consultant will mean some extra homework for you and your team, but not doing your homework can lead to delays and expense.
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AFP BLOG: International News
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Oxfam launches its first investment fund - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits
24 Jan 2012 | 8:14 amOxfam launches its first investment fund - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: Oxfam has launched an investment fund, with social and financial returns, which will target small and medium companies in developing countries by investing in local financial intermediaries which focus on small enterprise -
Institute of Fundraising sees role in boosting giving - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits
24 Jan 2012 | 7:03 amInstitute of Fundraising sees role in boosting giving - Civil Society - Fundraising - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: The Institute of Fundraising sees itself as having a role to play in boosting giving, according to a newly-published consultation document on its proposed new strategic objectives. -
Impact group: charities could allocate percentage of funding for impact measurement - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits
24 Jan 2012 | 7:01 amImpact group: charities could allocate percentage of funding for impact measurement - Civil Society - Finance - News - providing news and in-depth coverage of charities, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits: The Inspiring Impact Group, a coalition of voluntary sector bodies seeking to provide collective leadership on measuring impact over the next 10 years, is considering encouraging -
UK should strengthen links with private foundations on philanthropy, say MPs | Global development | guardian.co.uk
23 Jan 2012 | 11:43 amUK should strengthen links with private foundations on philanthropy, say MPs | Global development | guardian.co.uk: The Department for International Development (DfID) must foster closer ties with private foundations in order to maximise the impact of philanthropy in the developing world, according to a report by the House of Commons international development committee.The report, published on -
Consultation asks whether charities should be registered as lobbyists | Third Sector
20 Jan 2012 | 12:42 pmConsultation asks whether charities should be registered as lobbyists | Third Sector: A Cabinet Office consultation on plans to set up a register of lobbyists asks whether charities and groups lobbying on their behalf should be required to join the register.The consultation document, Introducing a Statutory Register of Lobbyists, was published today.
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Donate a Car to Charity - CharityCar.us blog
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Monster Jam Sponsorship
23 Jan 2012 | 12:07 pmWe had a chance to do a little promotion at the Monster Jam Tour Toronto with our founding member (Standard Auto Wreckers). This show was so much fun!!! -
Selena Gomez to Sing for Charity
5 Jan 2012 | 10:45 amSelena Gomez has announced her second annual charity concert for UNICEF. The ‘Hit The Lights’ singer and her band The Scene will perform at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California on Friday, January 20. Fan club tickets go on sale today (January 5) from 10am PT through her official website, with general public tickets then available from January 6 at 5pm PT through Ticketmaster. Gomez teased the event on her Twitter account, writing: “Have some surprise guests lined up for the UNICEF charity show… can’t wait to share them with you.” She added in… -
Sir Richard Branson Keeps Giving
5 Dec 2011 | 8:41 amThe Knowledge to Action foundation was first conceived in November 2010 when Greg and I were at The Ubuntu Education Fund’s spectacular gala dinner in New York. With The Dave Matthews band playing and hosted by Chris Rock’s wife, it was an incredible evening with close to 700 people in attendance. The star studded crowd pulled together in the spirit of giving and among them managed to raise over $2 million dollars for this worthy cause. We were both blown away by how much money the evening raised for the charity. That evening really showed us that when people work together big things can… -
Rhythmix – the Band or the Charity?
1 Nov 2011 | 5:00 amThe X Factor girl group Rhythmix are to change their name, following a threat of legal action by a Brighton charity with the same name. The charity uses music to help disadvantaged youngsters and claims Simon Cowell’s production company Syco had initially failed to enter into a discussion about the name clash. It said that having a band with the same name would affect its future work. The X Factor said the girls would announce a new name “in due course”. Producers at X Factor said they knew the charity existed, although the band had originally settled on the name without… -
Nancy Kerrigan Promoted Worthwhile Charity
11 Oct 2011 | 9:36 amThe Buoniconti Fund’s aim find a cure for paralysis resulting from spinal cord injuries. The fund was founded by football legend Nick Buoniconti after his son Marc suffered a spinal cord injury during a college football game. Each year, The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis holds the Great Sports Legends Dinner honoring sports figures and philanthropic heroes in order to bring awareness and support to the fund. This year’s 26th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York raised more than $10 million for paralysis research. One of the standout sports…
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Charity Car Donation News
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Charity Car Visits Monster Jam Toronto
23 Jan 2012 | 12:10 pmOur founding member, StandardAutoWreckers.com was a sponsor (and supplier of junk cars) for the Monster Jam Tour – Toronto and we got a little brand promotion ourselves!!! -
Car Recycling Idea
3 Jan 2012 | 5:15 pmThis junk car was turned into a mini playground in Ireland. -
Canadians Slightly More Giving in 2010
5 Dec 2011 | 8:39 amCanadians gave more to charity in 2010, showing signs that philanthropic giving is rebounding after the last two years of recession. Statistics Canada data released Monday show that tax filers claimed just under $8.3-billion in 2010, up 6.5 per cent from 2009. At the same time, the number of donors increased 2.2 per cent to just over 5.7 million Canadians. While the percentage of Canadians claiming donations has been steadily dropping since 1997, the figure also climbed back slightly to 23.4 per up from the all-time low of 23.1 per cent. The national median donation was $260 in 2010, which… -
Tana Silverland Cycling for Charity
31 Oct 2011 | 11:05 pmTana Silverland, a Brit who relocated to Canada in 2010, is cycling to communities across the country to raise awareness sand money for SOS Children’s Villages. She stayed in Goderich the weekend of Oct. 21-22 and headed to Exeter, Sarnia, London on her tricycle. When Tana Silverland landed in Canada in June 2010 from the United Kingdom, she immediately set out on a cross-country odyssey to visit as many Canadian communities as possible. Read the full article here. -
Oh Nelly, She Did the Right Thing!
11 Oct 2011 | 9:39 amCanadian pop singer Nelly Furtado says she is donating the $1 million she earned to perform for members of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s family to the Free the Children charity. Furtado said in February she would donate the money from a 2007 show in Italy for members of Gadhafi’s family. She made this latest announcement Tuesday at a youth empowerment day organized by Canadian co-founders of Free the Children. Read the full article here.
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Pamela Grow
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The dirty little secret about donor retention “they” don’t tell you
23 Jan 2012 | 11:24 amWe talk a lot in this industry about donor retention. All kinds of “Phantom Donor” testing occurs, such as Mal Warwick’s practice of sending a round of checks to twenty organizations to study the (usually unimpressive) returns. Articles turn up regularly on penning the perfect thank you letter, and whether a thank you letter should include an additional ask, and how many times and ways that you can thank your donors. So, what’s missing in this equation? It’s simple really. You can’t really be a donor-centric organization without both a good database and solid protocols and… -
Consistency
10 Jan 2012 | 5:03 amAwhile back I was having a conversation with Mazarine Treyz of Wild Woman Fundraising. Do you know Mazarine? She is one awesome woman, smart, savvy and loaded with energy and good will. Anyway she said to me “Pam, I just love your consistency!” She was talking about my weekly enews, The Grow Report, which goes out like clockwork every Thursday morning. Why every week? Early on when I made the decision to launch an enews targeted specifically to “small shop” development directors, one of the biggest decisions I had to make was how often I would mail. Regardless of whether I mailed… -
More email marketing take-aways from Al Franken
22 Dec 2011 | 1:21 pmSenator Al Franken’s latest email, a holiday greeting from his family to you, has even more take-aways for the nonprofit marketer. How can you make your supporters feel a part of your organization’s “family?” Write in an open, personable style. No jargon allowed. Share photographs. Use humor but keep it gentle. Creative use of the P.S. Related Posts:Al Franken is scathingly brilliant!Best of 20105 Down & Dirty Tips to Ramp up Your End-of-Year AppealThe Secret Millionaire | A nifty engagement page$48 Billion up for grabs – is your organization ready? -
Al Franken is scathingly brilliant!
14 Dec 2011 | 3:18 pmYou’re a nonprofit fundraiser, right? That’s why you’re here, am I correct? Take a look at the latest email to land in my inbox from Al Franken (click to read): Takeaways? A fun, breezy subject header. One that makes you curious to open. It’s personalized A you-centered story, one that everyone can relate to A gradually escalating call to action And check out the P.S. Related Posts:More email marketing take-aways from Al FrankenThe Grow Report: Blogroll Week of March 21Free ebook: 7 Habits of Effective Personal FundraisersUsing your organization’s newsletter to… -
WOW your donors on autopilot
12 Dec 2011 | 4:19 amWhen this email from Cafe Press, wishing me a happy anniversary from the date of my first purchase with them, arrived in my inbox I thought “how easy would this be for nonprofit organizations to emulate?” Sure, if you’re the Lone Development Director, chances are you’re too busy to remember your own family’s anniversaries, let alone donors. But what if you could implement something like this on autopilot? Simply sign up for a service, such as Send out Cards, and set it up for your donor to get an anniversary card on the date of their first gift to your…
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Fundraising for Nonprofits by
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Minimize your Government-Grant-Proposal Risks! by Jayme Sokolow
26 Jan 2012 | 12:01 amDeveloping a grant proposal to a government agency is a risky undertaking. However, there are predictable risks that you should anticipate and address. If you do not address them at the beginning of your effort, your may have trouble submitting a competitive grant proposal by the deadline. Risks and How to Address Them Below are the four most common risks and strategies for addressing them. 1. Insufficient Information about the Government Agency • Conduct electronic research about the government agency • Engage the government agency outside the office at… -
The Role of The Development Office by Hank Lewis
24 Jan 2012 | 12:01 amThe Development Office and its staff functions with-and-through a volunteer cadre, and: • Participates in the strategic planning process to address the feasibility of attaining specific long-range and short-term funding goals. • Is responsible for working with Leadership and Administration in planning and implementing the activities needed to generate the funding required to meet the goal established by the strategic planning process. -
Going Over The Head Of A Foundation Program Officer by Tony Poderis
19 Jan 2012 | 12:01 amRecently, a disgruntled grant seeker I know told me that he was so upset with what he said was a “blatant” turndown from a foundation Program Officer that he was going to go over that official’s head to appeal to a board member of the foundation — someone whom he knows. My immediate reaction was that he needs to know how to take “No” for an answer. By not doing so, he increases the likelihood that he will poison that foundation’s “philanthropic well.” The rejection should be followed by a gracious acceptance of that program officer’s decision. It’s best to leave the… -
Recording Year-End Checks/Gifts to Nonprofits by Christine Manor
18 Jan 2012 | 12:01 amA reader asked: If my 501 (c) 3 organization receives a check/donation in January 2012 (postmark is also for January 2012), but the check has a December 2011 date, is it correct that we are to record that donation as 2012 income … even though the intent of the donor may be for the gift to be considered a 2011 donation? Christine responds: Here is what the IRS has to say about the timing of contributions, in Publication 526 Charitable Contributions (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf): If the envelope is postmarked 2012, the contribution is for 2012. If the envelope is postmarked 2011,… -
Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You by Lynn deLearie
17 Jan 2012 | 12:01 amWhen Does A Foundation Really Mean “No”? Unfortunately, the answer is most of the time. Let’s go through a couple of scenarios from my recent real-world encounters to see how this can play out. Scenario A: You’ve done your prospecting homework and have identified a foundation that’s a good fit with your organization. Unfortunately, you don’t have a connection between one of your board members and one of their trustees, but the foundation does accept unsolicited proposals. So you go ahead and submit a well-written proposal, following all of their guidelines. Several months…
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Blog
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Put Integrity Back in School Fundraising
26 Jan 2012 | 10:15 amSchool fundraising shouldn’t just be about the money. It’s also important to consider how you carry it out, especially if you want to have long term success. Even if you raise a lot of money with your first fundraiser, if you don’t abide by proper fundraising ethics, your initial success may end up being short-lived.Related Content: Teach Students to Sell For Your School FundraiserBlog Type: Helpful Fundraising Tools -
Creative No Cost Incentives that Boost Fundraising Sales
19 Jan 2012 | 8:25 amThe problem with incorporating additional fundraising incentives into your sale is that they sometimes cost money. Yet as long as you promote these incentives properly you can often still achieve a good return on your investment. However, what if you could offer motivators that didn’t cost you anything but still increased fundraising sales?Related Content: All School Fundraisers Deserve Additional IncentivesBlog Type: Promoting Your Fundraiser -
How to Conquer Low School Fundraiser Participation
12 Jan 2012 | 10:12 amThere are probably many reasons why students don’t end up participating in their school fundraiser. Some reasons are that families are just too busy with other activities, parents don’t want their students to sell or the prizes that were introduced at the fundraiser kickoff were the same as they are every year.Related Content: 3 No-Cost Ways to Increase School Fundraiser Sales Blog Type: Helpful Fundraising Tools -
Take Your High School Fundraiser to Another Level
5 Jan 2012 | 8:58 amHigh school fundraising groups need money as much as anyone; however they are not always willing or motivated to participate in a fundraiser. It helps to have strong sponsors with clearly defined goals and expectations for their group members; yet there is still more that can be done to help ensure fundraising success. We have seen many high school sponsors achieve greater than average results because they have incorporated fun and competition into their fundraisers.Related Content: 3 Steps to Productive High School FundraisersBlog Type: Promoting Your Fundraiser -
5 Steps to Fundraising Success
29 Dec 2011 | 11:44 amEven though fundraising groups want to be successful, many don’t realize that there are steps that can be taken to help them reach their goals. Here are 5 steps that we recommend that our customers incorporate into their sale:Related Content: How to Motivate High School Students to SellBlog Type: Helpful Fundraising Tools
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The Wakeman Agency Blog
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Media Attention – Quick Tips to Help You Get More
27 Jan 2012 | 5:57 amBy Jessica Epperly There are many ways to get media attention for your story. One of the best ways is to hire a public relations specialist with strong connections to the media. Journalists are notoriously hard to reach, but there are a few tricks of the trade that can help get their attention. read more -
Twitter for Good - a Book Review Vlog
25 Jan 2012 | 2:30 amBy Monica Clarke Watch the Vlog that reviews Twitter for Good! -
Marketing for Nonprofits – Why Events are Essential
24 Jan 2012 | 11:47 amBy Katherine Turiano I believe the reason events are essential to non-profits is because they are able to raise awareness and funding for a non-profit's cause within one glittering gala night or mud-covered triathlon day. The Wakeman Agency is able to perfectly partner with your team to take on the production and publication of your events to allow your staff to manage the development and outreach you are best at, creating memorable events that make an impact. read more -
What I Didn't Learn in Journalism School
20 Jan 2012 | 8:26 amBy Katie Cray As a proud Northeastern University alumnus (one of the best journalist schools, in my opinion), I can honestly say that I learned a lot in the classroom and through the co-op program. However, I didn’t learn everything. As beneficial as the co-op program was, nothing compares to jumping into the workforce without the safety net of returning to class the next semester. Everything is very idealistic and hypothetical when you’re sitting in a lecture, but sitting at your desk pitching your client to a reporter, in real life, is a bit different. read more -
Direct Marketing Tips in 2012 to Improve Marketing ROI
17 Jan 2012 | 9:25 amBy Soo Dawson You know and I know that direct marketing tactics can really backfire at times. I recently heard of a bakery owner in a small suburb who offered a deal on her Facebook page – order a cake by such and such date and you will get a second cake for free! She ended up having to fulfill over 2,500 orders and lost $20,000 in labor costs and baking supplies. What she probably didn’t anticipate was the overwhelming response to her promotion, and it ended up becoming a costly mistake for her. But many marketers fall prey to this type of poor planning from…
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DonationTo Blog
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How To Fundraise
26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 amFor more tips Follow @donationto Online fundraising is a viable option for individuals or businesses who are trying to raise funds for a worthwhile cause. Traditional methods of fundraising, such as bake sales, car washes and selling candy door to door, have become antiquated. This is because of the amount of time it takes to reach a large audience. In today's world people tend to tune out anything that requires them to make a special stop, and it can also be difficult to collect from people without having the ability to process credit cards. Although most people prefer to use credit or debit… -
How to Raise Money Online - DevFund
25 Jan 2012 | 11:00 amFor more fundraising tips Follow @donationto When raising money for charity, every dollar counts. Schools collect spare change to support local charities. Businesses partner with charities to allow employees to donate a small portion of each paycheck to help support a good cause. While a donation of one percent or one dollar may not seem like much, consider the potential impact if a hundred people, a thousand people or even a million people donating one dollar at a time. With online fundraising the potential to reach over one million dollars in donations exists,… -
Raise Money Online - Nepali Yoga Women Project
24 Jan 2012 | 11:00 amFor more fundraising tips Follow @donationto Groups to support women in foreign nations face challenges when it comes to determining how to fundraise and gain support for their cause. Traditional fundraising ideas often do not raise the awareness and the amount of funds required to complete the work of the organization. This often takes a lot time to raise a significant amount of money. The Nepali Yoga Women Project has found a unique way to raise money for their organization. Focused on helping women in Nepal, the Nepali Yoga Women Project teach women how to heal and provide support… -
Fundraising Animal Rescue
23 Jan 2012 | 11:00 amContemporary fundraising is a far cry from the neighborhood lemonade stand. That enterprise might be personal, accessible and even moderately lucrative, but its success rests largely on chance, not marketing. The Internet has changed fundraising game forever. Online fundraising with, DonationTo.com, can help you raise money online faster and more effectively than ever imagined. Fundraising ideas are not limited to giant campaigns or someone with years of fundraising experience. All a fundraiser needs is passion, a compelling story and the Internet to share the rest. The… -
Fundraising Ideas - Producing Music
18 Jan 2012 | 11:41 amSuccessful singer and producer Pilar Kuhn is in the process of recording a new CD in collaboration with bandleader and saxophonist Duke Guillaume. The CD, entitled "The Great American Songbook." will contain her arrangement of such American standards as 'Body and Soul' and 'All of Me.' The CD will be recorded in New York, and fans of Pilar's work can't wait to hear the end result. The Los Angeles-based singer is a veritable 'Jack-of-all-trades' in the movie and music industries, both as an entertainer and behind the scenes equally at home in theater, radio, film, and the recording studio.
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Event Fundraising Blog
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Talking Technology: Conversation Starters to Help Strategic Planners Break the Ice With Tech Pros
27 Jan 2012 | 3:32 pmKnow this: Your typical technology professional has spent his or her entire career trying to be perfect. Why? Because when tech solutions do what they’re supposed to do, no one seems to notice – but when they don’t, all hell breaks loose. The result? Technologists are loath to make assumptions or even recommend approaches. They tend to wait for instructions and then execute as best they can.On the other side of the (ill-advised) fence, folks making business decisions are reticent to foolishly make those decisions around what, to them, is often cryptic and even baffling… -
Peer-to-Peer Event Fundraising Tips
26 Jan 2012 | 9:26 amMany summer peer-to-peer fundraising events will be opening registration in the upcoming months (hopefully, yours included).To get the most from your event this year, it’s important to realize that your participants are a diverse group and you need to speak to each group differently.Sending one-size-fits-all event update isn’t going to cut it anymore. You have to target each audience with a tailored message – one that speaks to them.Why?Your participants have different motivators, perspectives and needs. They also have varying levels of commitment to your event and… -
Reassuring Donors and Event Participant Fundraisers Through Transparency: Don't Be (RED)
25 Jan 2012 | 11:52 amLast year, our Director of Marketing Therese Grohman told us about the (RED) campaign's successful formula in motivating donors using comparisons, such as how much life-sustaining AIDS medicine you can buy for the price of an extra shot in your Venti latte. Certainly no one would argue with (RED)'s finesse in persuading donors and partner companies, such as Starbucks, to help people in desperate need. However, the (RED) brand also serves as a cautionary tale for anyone doing good in the world: don't be opaque about your finances.The Persuaders, LLCIf you do a Google search of The Persuaders,… -
10 Recommendations for Improving Event Production in 2012
20 Jan 2012 | 11:30 amThose of us at Event 360 who focus on event production have one goal in mind: creating impactful experiences for participants. Here are 10 ways to do just that in the year ahead.1. Leverage technology.Event professionals can employ all kinds of technology to be more efficient and provide a better product. Use Google Earth to scout sites and lay out site plans to scale. Provide GPS for staff and volunteers to navigate routes more effectively. Incorporate barcode scanners for credentialing (e.g. you can scan in participants who have printed their credentials and brought them to the event).2. -
Why I'm Optimistic About Blackbaud's Acquisition of Convio
17 Jan 2012 | 3:12 pmThis morning’s announcement that Blackbaud has agreed to acquire Convio has certainly made the day more interesting. A surprise to me and most of my colleagues, clients, and partners, the press release has inspired more Twitter, email, and phone activity than I can remember in quite a while. Nearly everyone has asked the same questions: What will it mean? Is it a good thing, or a bad thing?Clearly it will take a while to understand the implications of the announcement, and much longer to observe how the acquisition and subsequent integration — strategic, operational, and…
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Too Busy To Fundraise
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Movers and Shakers
24 Jan 2012 | 8:57 pmEons ago, a friend was the Development Director at a large performing arts organization. Most their major gift fundraising happened around very social events: dinners before performances, drinks at intermission, private parties at the donors’ homes where the talent performed. … Continue reading → -
Ours IS to Reason Why
18 Jan 2012 | 4:05 pmWhen I was a kid, I hated it when my parents or teachers asked me “why” questions: Why did (or didn’t) you do that? Why did that happen? Why were you (fill in the blank)? I wasn’t too crazy about … Continue reading → -
The Beauty of Nudginess
10 Jan 2012 | 10:36 pmMy clients will tell you—I am a nudge. Some of them might even call me a nag. I try not to cross that line, but have determined better to nag occasionally than to let things go. After all, they did … Continue reading → -
The Importance of Impact
2 Jan 2012 | 8:04 pmAsk a nonprofit professional what his or her nonprofit does and the answer will undoubtedly be a litany of the activities the organization performs. It’s not surprising, therefore, that most appeals for support focus on the needs of the organization … Continue reading → -
Busy, Busy
26 Dec 2011 | 7:07 pmBusy. Busy busy. Busy busy busy. I could learn to hate that word. I especially hate it when someone tells me that they are too busy to do something that they are supposed to be doing. In my experience, that … Continue reading →
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GiveForward
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Help for Family Following Accident at Home
27 Jan 2012 | 5:22 pmA few days before Christmas 2011, a 42-inch box television fell on four-year-old Cole Durham. This accident resulted in Cole breaking every bone in his face as well as causing a split palate and jaw. The Durham Family had to spend their holidays in the hospital and faced a daunting journey towards recovery. Cole, an extremely brave and always-smiling boy, already suffered from autism and epilepsy before the accident. He has demonstrated incredible courage over the past month as he has endured a series of CT scans, surgeries, transfusions, therapies, and medicines. Fortunately, after his long… -
Former Fire Victim Helps Another Rebuild
16 Jan 2012 | 5:10 pmWhen the home of Ron Wallace was burning down the day before Thanksgiving, he never thought he would be visited by another fire victim who would provide him with hope to help him get through this tragedy. But at that moment, Tara, who lost her own home to a fire in January 2011, happened to be driving by Ron’s home. She happened to be in the right place at the right time and stopped to give Ron a tote of essentials to help him take care of himself and alleviate the stress of losing his home. The tote that Tara gave to Ron actually came from Tara’s Totes, a site she created… -
Pancreatic Cancer Battle Gives Students Chance to Help Teacher
5 Jan 2012 | 3:43 pmTeaching is undeniably one of the most difficult professions in our country. Our staff pick this week honors an educator who bravely faces pancreatic cancer while encouraging the children at her local YWCA. On Miss Patti’s fundraising page, her community describes her as “personally and professionally [...] the continual supply of loving and level-headed advice, tutelage, and guidance for decades.” Whether they’re challenging stubborn mindsets or fostering suppressed talents, the work of our teachers is never easy. Based on the outpouring of support… -
Three Members of One Family Battle Cancer
13 Dec 2011 | 4:05 pmHere at GiveForward, we see fundraisers starting everyday by loved ones wanting to support a family member who is going through a medical crisis. However, there is one fundraiser on the site that isn’t just for one person, but 3 members of one family battling cancer at the same time. We chose The Castillo Family Battling Cancer as this week’s staff pick as a chance to send all three members bravely battling cancer lots of love and positive vibes to get well soon! In 2004, Lilia was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Even after extensive radiation and surgeries, the cancer spread to her… -
Family Caregivers Recognized by President
7 Nov 2011 | 11:40 amFamily caregivers are getting the recognition they deserve. This month, President Obama declared November “National Family Caregivers Month“. The goal is to pay tribute to the individuals who care for the health and well-being of their relatives and loved one. This month why not take a little time to show some recognition to the caregivers in your life? If they need extra support, start a GiveForward page to help gather financial and emotional support. Often family caregivers take on the role with little or no caregiving background. If your favorite caregiver needs to find…
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The Fundraising Authority
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The Story of Your Non-Profit
23 Jan 2012 | 10:14 pmHow well are you telling your non-profit’s story? No… I’m not talking about that boilerplate “History of our Organization” that you have on your website. And I’m certainly not referring to the mission statement that committee of your board members hammered out 15 years ago. I’m talking about story, in its truest sense… Good. Evil. Heroes. Villains. Adventures. Conquests. Battles lost. Battles won. Wait… you don’t think your organization has a story like that? Let me assure that it could… that it should, if you would let it. You see, we human beings,… -
Fundraising Authority Podcast #3: How to Build and Use Fundraising Networks
19 Jan 2012 | 1:43 pmMy favorite fundraising strategy for long-term financial stability is the use of fundraising networks. Every non-profit, no matter how small or large, should be using fundraising networks to grow its prospect pool and raise more money from individual and corporate donors. In today’s episode of The Fundraising Authority Podcast, we talk about fundraising networks… what they are, how to build them, and how to use them: Also, please note that The Fundraising Authority Podcast is now available on iTunes. To subscribe or listen via iTunes, click here. Related posts:… -
How to Launch Planned Giving at Your Non-Profit
9 Jan 2012 | 10:00 pmPlanned giving… for many non-profits, particularly small and mid-sized organizations, it’s something we say we want to get around to, but never do. Sure, if someone leaves us a gift in their will, we’ll take it, but for many of us, we never quite get around to launching a planned giving campaign at our charity, even though we talk about it at board meetings and put it on annual “to-do” lists. The reason so many non-profits keep putting off planned giving is because it seems like it’s complicated. When we think of planned giving, so often we think of lawyers, accountants, legal… -
Top 5 Articles of 2011… and Big News for the Podcast
4 Jan 2012 | 3:41 pmAs one year closes and another year opens (full of opportunity!) we present our annual list of our most popular articles… these are the posts from 2011 that you, our readers, visited the most. It’s been a great year for The Fundraising Authority, with the launch of our Podcast, the introduction of our Supercharge Your Fundraising master class, and 50 new articles and posts on our site. Thank you so much for your support this past year. We simply could not have done it without you. So… without further ado… our most popular posts from 2011: 1. Non-Profit… -
Making the Most of Year End Fundraising Appeals
19 Dec 2011 | 10:04 pmThe end of the calendar year can (and should) be a bonanza for non-profit organizations looking to raised small and medium-sized gifts to round out their fundraising numbers. Whether your non-profit works on a fiscal or a calendar year, most “regular folks” in the work-a-day world work on a calendar year, and make a significant portion of their yearly donations at the end of the year. Today, we’re presenting some tips for maximizing your non-profit’s revenue from year end appeals. We’ll start with the basics, and then move on to the advanced tactics. The Basics of Year-End…
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goodness.biddingforgood.com
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Charitable Boldface Names of the Week
27 Jan 2012 | 10:11 amCelebrities and politicians dominate the news this time of year. With awards season underway and the Republican presidential campaigns in full swing, we thought we’d take a look at what some of the boldface names in Hollywood and in D.C. are up to in the world of philanthropy for our weekly round up. Mitt Romney Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney released his tax returns this week to much fanfare. While much focus was placed on his income level and tax rate, TIME magazine’s Dan Kadlec takes pause noting that Romney’s “charitable giving is extraordinary.”… -
When Your Auction Doesn’t Go As Planned
27 Jan 2012 | 8:15 amDuring my first personal training session of the New Year, I had some pretty high hopes for myself. 2011 was a pretty good year for me fitness-wise as far I as could tell: I ran my second half marathon and made many improvements in my endurance and strength training. Or so I thought. At the end of that first session, my trainer pointed to the scale and said “Before you go, we need to do a weigh-in.” Clearly I was expecting to see a bit of a loss or just the same number from the past year. But that wasn’t the case. I gained weight. Over 3 years ago, I made the… -
The Not-So-Silent Auction
25 Jan 2012 | 12:22 pmCalling all event fundraisers! The day you have been waiting for has arrived… This is the big show-down – the battle between innovation and convention – and for good reason, you have found yourself on Team Innovation. So, let’s rock n’ roll! Our task: To reinvent the silent auction model with Smart Auction Technology (read: mobile bidding at your next auction event). What is wrong with the traditional silent auction model? The silent auction is… silent. My trusty thesaurus tells me that some synonyms for “silent” are: indistinct,… -
How's Your Auction Doing? A Guide to BiddingForGood Reports
23 Jan 2012 | 11:05 amBiddingForGood has a wealth of tools to help you run a high-performing auction. I’m here to tell you all about a very useful part of our suite that you might not know much about: reports! For example, the Sponsor/Donor by Item Report gives you a list of all of the items you have entered and their donors. The Registered Users Report provides a list of everyone who has registered to bid on your auction and anyone who has placed a bid or submitted a donation. However, there are also a couple of reports that are extremely valuable that require a little more digging to understand. The… -
BiddingForGood “Getting to Know” Series: Val on Val
20 Jan 2012 | 9:39 amVal Galarza is one of the newest employees here at BiddingForGood. He is also the second person here that goes by Val (the other person being me). I recently had an opportunity to sit down with Val to learn more about him, his position here, and also why he goes by the name Val: Valeria: So, tell us a little bit about yourself. Let’s start with what do you do here at BiddingForGood? Val: I’m the client services night supervisor. I’m here to support the In-room Mobile Bidding product, especially for the night of event. Before I started working here, I worked at…
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Association of Grumpy Old Fundraisers who know stuff
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Happy New Year (or is it?)
4 Jan 2012 | 9:57 amLast year I posed the question where are the baby boomer philanthropists? Bingo the New Year honours list has 14 according to Howard Lake at Fundraising.co.uk. This list includes Doug Ellis and Paul Ruddock as well as my old Cranfield mate Mike Bear (now Sir Michael - so many congratulations!)Perhaps most notable of these good doing generally baby boomers is probably Gerald Ronson for his (reported by Civil Society) £100m fundraised for charity (and £30m donated!) after a spell in prison in the 1990s. This is a bit reminicent of John Profumo who, (after the Christine Keeler scandel) spent… -
What did the Baby Boomers ever do for us? Part two
2 Dec 2011 | 3:47 amIsn't it Interesting? The UK Giving Report for 2011 shows giving back to 2009 levels, though with more people giving a bit less. The comparisons with the US however are really revealing. In the UK CAF reckon around 60% of adults give to charity whilst in the states it's nearer 80% according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. This reflect the almost straight line negative correlation some of our LSBU research showed between giving in the USA, UK and Denmark against comparitive overall tax rates!However what is even more interesting (and depressing) is the role of the Baby Boomers in all this. -
What did the Baby Boomers ever do for us?
28 Nov 2011 | 9:47 amMeeting Francis Beckett tomorrow so do you have any questions for him? His thesis is that the self obsessed generation took the money and ran, with little regard for the consequences. He might be right. A lot of my friends have made a lot of money in property and financial services. On the other hand there are quite a few Gen X successes with computers and the internet, not to mention Gen Y and professional sport. I think what is really interesting (if sad) is that that the gap in the distribution of wealth is widening not shrinking.Philip Beresford has commented that when he started doing… -
The Poppy Appeal - good fundraising or too hard a sell?
14 Nov 2011 | 10:47 amVery interesting discussion yesterday on Radio 5. Do take a look at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0178fy4/Double_Take_13_11_2011/ where the discussion is after 1 hour and 18 minutes and let me know what you think. There has been some very interesting comment over the last few days about the pressures people are under to wear a poppy for the two weeks up to Remembrance Sunday. My point was that whilst the British Legion have done a great job reviving the appeal and in particular getting individuals and organisations to respect the two minute silance at 11.00am, we hear increasing tales… -
Street Canvassers or Chuggers - Is Richard Coles right or as grumpy as me?
9 Nov 2011 | 8:32 amFollowing the Rev's outburst against Street Canvassers at last week (Guardian 28/10/11) the media are having a frenzy about the antics of fundraisers who pursue people onto buses and the like! Personally I suspect dirty tricks! What canvasser in their right mind would think high pressure works in persuading people to give money away?I was on the Tony Livesey show last night on Radio 5 and we discussed the efficacy of canvassing. The reality is, of course, that it recruits younger givers (donors give blood and party parts) who won't respond to traditional DM or even DRTV. Properly managed it's…
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queer ideas
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Why giving to charity can be like buying a Polaris submarine
4 Jan 2012 | 9:38 amMy dad was a printer. When he worked night shifts on the national newspapers I always went to bed very excited. That's because I knew he'd come home with a gift for me. As soon as I woke up, I'd rush downstairs to find a toy car, a model plane or an American comic sitting on the kitchen table. The American comics were perhaps the most exciting. Unlike British comics, they had glossy covers and featured exotic characters like Richie Rich or Casper the Friendly Ghost. As well as the stories, they were packed full of ads that featured the most amazing products that seemed… -
Online donors have letter boxes too
29 Nov 2011 | 4:28 amHere's another couple of charts that Damian O'Broin from Ask Direct and I shared at IOF London on our international mystery shopping exercise. It gives a few more insights in to how charities are integrating email and postal communications. One of our most surprising findings was that relatively few of the charities we surveyed put a thank you letter in the post in response to an online gift. Just 5% of British charities did. American charities came next at a little over 20%. Canadians were better at 40%, whilst Australian charities provided over half of online donors with a… -
Who sends your emails?
24 Nov 2011 | 9:35 amAlong with Damian O'Broin of the rather good Irish fundraising agency, Ask Direct, I presented some findings taken from a massive international mystery shopping exercise (270 charities in six countries) at IOF London yesterday. I'm going to post the full presentation online, but I thought it might be worth highlighting one or two specific findings in the meantime. The first is the weird set of entities that send a thank you email in response to an online gift. You'll see from the screen grab just some of the fun descriptions that people use. My own particular favourite is… -
The case against the case for support
14 Nov 2011 | 5:43 amOn the face of it, the case for support should be the key organisational tool for fundraisers, but having seen a fair number over my working life, I'd question how many are actually fit for purpose. Tim Seiler, Director of the Fund Raising School at Indiana University and author of Developing Your Case for Support has provided my preferred definition of what we should expect from a case for support... "The case statement focuses on or highlights factors that are critical in arguing for gift support and is typically tailored to reflect the needs and interests of the supporter being… -
How to win donors and influence them
12 Nov 2011 | 3:04 pmHow to win friends and influence people was one of the first self-help books ever published. Written by Dale Carnegie in 1936, it has been constantly in print and sold millions of copies world-wide. I don't know if Dale ever turned his hand to fundraising, but when he laid out his views on how you can make people like you, he might well have had our profession in mind. Follow these principles in your communications with donors and you won't go far wrong... Be genuinely interested in your donors. Smile (be nice to them). Remember that a person's name is, to that person, the…
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Fired-Up Fundraising | Gail Perry Associates
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What Keeps My Clients Up at Night and Why Boards are The Biggest Pain Point of All
27 Jan 2012 | 9:13 amHere’s an interview I did recently for the nonprofitmarketing360 blog. I thought you’d enjoy it! What are the issues that are keeping your clients awake at night? GAIL: I think the economy is just a huge issue. People are worried about whether they can raise the money they need or not. But I’m also seeing a really interesting problem. What's keeping YOU up at night? My consulting clients are struggling to learn how to take donors who are identified potential major prospects and develop them to become major donors. It’s a very delicate, step-by-step, intuitive process to… -
3 Key Major Gifts Strategies for 2012
20 Jan 2012 | 9:15 amWe all want more of those major gifts. Ahhh . . . major gifts . . . the pot of gold! And we know that major gifts can make or break our organization’s financial future. But major gift donors are changing, just like fundraising is changing. This month my “Fundraising Insiders” members (join us!) are focusing on Trends for 2012. I’m interviewing Margaret Battistelli, editor of Fundraising Success magazine, (Friday Jan 27) and Kivi Leroux Miller of Nonprofitmarketingguide.com (Friday Jan 20) on their outlook for 2012. And next Tuesday Jan 24, I’m discussing my own… -
Want to Change the World? Do This First!
12 Jan 2012 | 8:51 pmI bet you made some new year’s resolutions, didn’t you? That’s great! I have an additional resolution to offer you: Take a stand. Just take a stand for what you believe in. Just like that. Draw a line in the sand and say to yourself, “I want to make a difference.” And then say “I AM going to make a difference.” (Isn’t that powerful!) Because when you make a declaration that you are going to do this, something happens inside. By “naming it” and “claiming it,” you start making it happen. Think for a moment. What really matters to you, anyway? What urgently… -
2012 New Year’s Resolutions for Board Members
6 Jan 2012 | 9:21 amIt’s that time again – for turning over a new leaf, for reexamining our work and life, for refocusing on what we really want, and for refreshing our commitment to good works. I created a list of New Year’s resolutions for nonprofit board members last year. It was a wildly popular post – with both board members AND staff. So here it is again updated for 2012. Board members: If you do these, you’ll set an example and be a “spark plug” for your organization. And you’ll also help make the world a better place through your favorite nonprofit. 1. Get more engaged. -
How to Throw a Party Everyone Wants to Attend
23 Dec 2011 | 10:04 amOne of my favorite holiday traditions is a really big family party. I mean a big one. Happy guests make a happy party! Last night I had about 150 people at my house, (can you imagine!) and it was a blast. Somehow over the years, this party has become an institution. My friends tell me that they actually schedule their holiday travel around the date of this party. They say it’s the party of the season for them. I have some ideas why this event is such a favorite. So today, while I’m in post-party recovery mode, I want to share the things I try to do to make this party so very special…
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Online Fundraising Today
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Congrats 2011 DoJiggy Giving Award Recipients
25 Jan 2012 | 3:48 pm“We are continually inspired by the important work of our clients and others in the nonprofit industry” For the last three years DoJiggy has supported selected nonprofits through its annual Giving Program by donating a percentage of annual profits as well as in-kind services. This year the company focused the program on the important work of four deserving clients, and each were awarded $500 grants. Congratulations 2011 Award Recipients GrowingGreat is a 501(c)3 nonprofit school garden and nutrition education organization dedicated to inspiring children and adults to adopt healthy… -
Exeter Swim-A-Thon Triples Funds Raised ~ Interview with Coach Greig Cronauer
18 Jan 2012 | 12:59 pmThe Exeter Swim-a-thon : Interview with Coach Greig Cronauer “91 families raised $38,000 in less than 2 months.” Q: Tell us about your team & the need for a fundraising event: Exeter Swim Team is a swim team with 130 members ranging in age from 7 to 18. The team hires two full-time coaches and three part-time coaches in addition to paying for pool time. (So) There is a need for fundraising each year to keep dues at a reasonable level. In the past our team had done raffles, car washes and “tagging” which is standing in front of stores in team apparel with a… -
Travel Incentives for Your Fundraiser
12 Jan 2012 | 10:13 amIs your nonprofit or community organization interested in providing low-cost travel incentives which can be used as participant or donor incentives to enhance your fundraising efforts? Or maybe you are looking for special gifts to give to volunteers who’ve dedicated their time and energy to make your fundraising event go off without a hitch. Whatever the reason…travel incentives provide organizations with a unique way to motivate, reward and thank constituents. How does it work? Travel incentives are typically purchased “in bulk” in advance of your fundraiser. … -
Fairburn Elementary: A Collaborative Community Effort to Overcome Financial Challenges
4 Jan 2012 | 2:20 pmFunding for public schools has historically been a debated subject, and in the current economic atmosphere, improvements in the financial situation of public schools seem unlikely. As many as 40 states cope with budget shortfalls, which threaten America’s 14,000 school districts. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allocated an $814 billion stimulus package for public K-12 schools, leaving the responsibility for how to distribute funds in the hands of each state. In most cases, funding was used to save the jobs of teachers and other school employees. However, funds are… -
Community Fundraising
20 Dec 2011 | 11:07 amHosting a community fundraiser is a great way to raise money for your cause. Community fundraising is usually more effective when a people focused approach is taken. Relationship building is a key part of such an approach. Building relationships communicates the benefits that the organization offers to the local community. Let’s talk about some specific ways to plan community fundraising activities that incorporate relationship building. Host an open house Schedule an open house at your community center or at a central location inviting the public to attend. Advertise your community…
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Fundraising Detective
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If you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?
26 Jan 2012 | 4:16 amThis post is my submission to the January edition of the Non-Profit Blog carnival. This month’s carnival is being hosted by Nancy Schwartz of the Getting Attention blog. Most non-profits were built on a dream. An aspiration. A vision for the future. Just take a second to think of the non-profits you support. What is the dream that you are buying into that makes you give? Winning the fight against cancer. Eradicating poverty. Ending child abuse. Whatever it is, it is likely to be aspirational and motivated by a desire to do good and help change the world for the better. It’s all too easy… -
Fundraising Round-Up
20 Jan 2012 | 4:13 amHere's my first round-up of 2012. I hope your year has got off to a good start. These posts are only from the start of the year, so if I missed anything over Christmas then do let me know. I'm delighted to say that since the start of the month, I've been working with Pamela Grow to provide a monthly round-up for the SOFII monthly bulletin. Why not sign up today? Katya on the importance of metaphors. Karen Zapp looks at the impact of colour in your direct mail. Kevin on why innovation comes on top of your exisiting offers (not instead of). Stuart Glen on a lovely thank… -
Forget charities, I'm going to give directly...
10 Jan 2012 | 9:00 amI loved this story from the US about strangers randomly paying off the Christmas lay-away bills of struggling families. The whole story just oozes feel good quotes and restores your faith in humanity. Closer to home, my mother-in-law did something similar (with work colleagues) for families in her community. She decided to go direct to families (via social services) after having a couple of bad experiences of donating directly to charities. Overall, she found the whole experience much more rewarding than giving via a charity and it was something her whole company got involved in. -
Final Fundraising Reading Round-Up of 2011
23 Dec 2011 | 6:12 amWhat better way to finish off the working year than with a final round-up of fundraising related links from the last couple of weeks... :) Whatever you are doing this Christmas, have a wonderful time. Thanks for reading and best wishes for a memorable 2012. Kimberley with some wise words for thanking donors in small charities. The Wild Woman interviews Jules Brown from the excellent Dear Joan blog. Jeff on how your silos are killing your fundraising. The Agitator also makes a plea to avoid them in this well argued post. Margaux from Bluefrog reports from the London IoF Conference - sorry… -
Does a personalised approach make a difference? Results from two tests
21 Dec 2011 | 7:33 amI wanted to share the results of two small experiments I've conducted in the last couple of months regarding personalised thank yous and appeals. I hope you'll find them of interest, though I need to say upfront that the sample sizes were (very) small and so the results aren't statistically significant. Does a handwritten thank you card increase response to the next appeal? For the first experiment we randomly split the responders to a previous appeal in two. One half received our normal personalised thank you letter, the other half also received a hand written thank you…
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CoolData blog
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More mistakes I’ve made
26 Jan 2012 | 11:38 amA while back I wrote a couple of posts about mistakes I’ve made in data mining and predictive modelling. (See Four mistakes I have made and When your predictive model sucks.) Today I’m pleased to point out a brand new one. The last days of work leading up to Christmas had me evaluating my new-donor [...] -
Address updates and affinity: Consider the source
16 Jan 2012 | 11:03 amSome of the best predictors in my models are related to the presence or absence of phone numbers and addresses. For example, the presence of a business phone is usually a highly significant predictor of giving. As well, a count of either phone or address updates present in the database is also highly correlated with [...] -
The data-driven organization: Know any?
11 Jan 2012 | 9:59 amI was chatting with Peter Wylie the other day, which we do from time to time, since we are, after all, collaborating on a book which we hope to finish writing in the coming months. The book is about how to bring our institutions, nonprofits, development and advancement offices into the data-driven decision making age. [...] -
Look inside first
4 Jan 2012 | 6:41 amDuring a panel discussion on the second day of last October’s DRIVE conference, one of the panel members mentioned that it’s possible to learn which of your constituents have “liked” your fan page on FaceBook. The mechanics of it went over my head — I don’t recall if it involved developing an application or scraping [...] -
Why I love work
22 Dec 2011 | 12:12 pmIt’s so hard to get anything finished this time of year. As the holidays get closer, I get more distracted and feeling unwell from eating too much sugar. I’ve got more than a dozen draft posts queued up — some are rather meaty and nearly ready to publish, but I just haven’t gotten up the [...]
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The Nth Factor
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When Great Board Members Have Not-So-Great Fundraising Ideas
9 Jan 2012 | 3:23 pmTweetBoard members are integral to nonprofits. Legally, of course, but more importantly, because of the incredible role they play in enabling nonprofits to run well and make an impact. They bring expertise, ideas, connections, funding and so much more to the organizations they serve. They are awesome. But sometimes, between you and me, they have less-than-stellar fundraising ideas. They get direct mail and email, they’re on Facebook, they text, and so they think they understand direct response and online fundraising. The problem is, being a consumer of media doesn’t make one an expert in… -
Charitable Deduction Limits: Limiting Only to Nonprofits?
31 Oct 2011 | 11:55 amTweetAs part of the larger debate on Capitol Hill about jobs, deficit reduction and increasing taxes on the wealthiest Americans, the Senate Finance Committee and the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (aka the Supercommittee) are considering proposals that would increase tax revenues by limiting the deductibility of charitable donations. But over 2,000 nonprofits agree that the only thing this will limit is their ability to provide services to people in need. As United Way Worldwide CEO Brian Gallagher recently testified before the Senate Finance Committee, although tax incentives… -
Integrate Your Year End Campaigns
27 Oct 2011 | 10:54 amTweetRecently I attended the DMAW’s monthly luncheon where a packed house turned out to hear Roger Craver, Founder of DonorTrends and editor of The Agitator, share his insights on integrating year end campaigns. For most, one big lesson had to be this: when Roger Craver’s speaking, you can’t afford to miss it. But in case you did, here are a few words of wisdom from Roger to keep in mind for your year-end campaigns that I shared in a guest post for the DMAW’s blog … Multichannel communications are critical to successful fundraising. You’ve probably heard this one before. But… -
Now More Than Ever
13 Sep 2011 | 9:32 pmTweetIt’s a pity “now more than ever” is one of the most abused phrases in fundraising. Because it actually applies now. More than ever. But I’m not talking about the need for philanthropy at a time when 14 million Americans being unemployed is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m talking about our approach to fundraising and advocacy. Yes, giving is down and the need is up. Obviously, now more than ever our nonprofits need contributions to fund our missions. But if you really want to make something happen, the first “now more than ever” your nonprofit should be thinking about… -
11 Strategies For Extraordinary Fundraising in ‘11
10 Aug 2011 | 10:49 amTweet Nonprofits have been soldiering through shaky fundraising territory for the past several years. With the addition of “fear index” and “double dip” to the mainstream economic crisis vocabulary in the past few days, we can probably expect those challenges to stay around for a while and maybe even intensify. So what do we do? First, recognize that a lousy economy calls on nonprofits to be more than merely competent; a lousy economy challenges nonprofits to be extraordinary. And second, as you roll up your sleeves on your extremely important fall fundraising campaigns against an…
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The Agitator
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Be The First On Your Block!
26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pmThere’s testing. And then there’s brain impulse measuring. This article from The Guardian reports that 10% of prime time TV ads have been developed using neuromarketing techniques … reading the brain’s reactions to creative stimulus in real time. So, I’m wondering … who will be first in the nonprofit sector to don the EEG headset? My predictions … 1. It will happen. 2. The first will be a major health-related charity (because they have the money to experiment) or maybe even more likely, a child sponsor agency (because they have the money and they… -
New Environment For NGOs & Advocates
25 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pmIn this slide presentation, Lee Rainie of Pew Internet presents ten “fresh realities” of the digital age that NGOs (and others) must contend with to succeed in persuading others. What Rainie says, much of it related to the explosion of social media and mobile communications, applies to all messaging and communications, which makes these observations pertinent to fundraisers, and especially those in advocacy groups. Some key thoughts: With hugely expanded networking capacities, there are many more — and new — civic actors, many operating independently. Four messaging… -
We’re In This Together
24 Jan 2012 | 11:45 pmYesterday I posted on SOFII’s “Top 23″ all-time great fundraising campaigns. I playfully asked “Why 23?” SOFII’s Ken Burnett responded with a Comment that I wanted to share, in part, more broadly: “And why 23? Well, we started with 21 (seemed like the key to the door or something, a nice handy number), and privilege of course decreases when shared. So we’ll probably keep it under 50, but we’d love to be able to showcase a small number of truly brilliant campaigns that by common consent are judged the best in the world. This was our first attempt… -
Best Of The Best Fundraising Campaigns
23 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pmFrom SOFII, aggregator of proven fundraising materials and insights, here is their list of the “23 all time great fundraising campaigns”. Each comes with a link describing or illustrating the campaign. I have two favorites on this list … The UNICEF card that launched that’s organization’s fundraising in 1946 — just because it’s so iconic. [A little tricky to navigate ... but the card drawing is there!] The Station WDCN, Nashville “thank you” to a donor — because it exemplifies the best of donor stewardship. But also read the… -
Career Pitfalls For Fundraisers
22 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pmSeth Godin posted a rant last week on the US Congress, and offered this list of elected official behaviors to avoid in pursuing any career. Agitator friend Caity Craver thought this wasn’t a bad list for nonprofit fundraisers to think about. In all things, look for money first. Listen to people with money, respond to people with money, justify your actions around money. Embrace the fact that you don’t know what you’re talking about. Aspire to run systems you don’t understand. Compromise over the important issues, but dig in and fight forever over trivia. Along those…
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DonorDriven
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Mary DiCarlo: DonorDrive Run Walk Ride Fundraising Scholarship winner.
26 Jan 2012 | 8:25 amThis year DonorDrive is proud to sponsor the first scholarship program to help deserving non-profits send a staff member to the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Conference. It’s happening March 6-9 in Atlanta. One of our recipients to be awarded the … Continue reading → -
Jen Bates: DonorDrive Run Walk Ride Fundraising Scholarship winner.
24 Jan 2012 | 9:25 amThis year DonorDrive is proud to sponsor the first scholarship program to help deserving non-profits send a staff member to the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Conference. (The event is happening March 6-9, 2012 in Atlanta.) One of our two recipients … Continue reading → -
SEO content writing for non-profits.
17 Jan 2012 | 9:46 amThere’s a lot of mystery around Search Engine Optimization, but there really doesn’t need to be. By the time you’re finished with this post you can claim you’re a SEO expert. (Just like everybody else in the world.) So, just … Continue reading → -
Must-Attend Non-Profit Conferences for 2012
10 Jan 2012 | 8:29 amNon-Profit conference season is near and if you haven’t already, now is the time to book. Conferences are great opportunities to learn the latest and to network with others who face the same challenges you do. Most attendees come home … Continue reading → -
DonorDrive Run Walk Ride Fundraising Scholarship recipients announced.
5 Jan 2012 | 8:14 amWe’ve been big supporters of the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Conference as North America’s key symposium for ‘thon events. This year, we made a commitment to help deserving admins (at non-profits that depend on ‘thons for their donations) attend the … Continue reading →
