Our gifts were solicited as unrestricted gifts and matched dollar-for-dollar by the foundation. A board member recommends that we split the funds raised ($100,000) between the general operating fund and the endowment, which is managed by the community foundation. Is it ethical/legal to take funds solicited as unrestricted and without a donor’s explicit direction, deposit them (or percentage of) into an endowment?
Pat Bradley at CrisisAid shared some very good news from Ethiopia. He sent a photo of Asha’s newborn via email. I thought: “Perfect! I wonder what a donor-centered caption on such a photo might read like.” And here’s what emerged: a quick tutorial (fingers crossed!) in caption writing. Above: Just the facts. Which is 1/2 the AP formula for good photo captions. The other… Read more »
Fundraising during a global pandemic is not an easy task. How can fundraisers stay optimistic, yet realistic, during this time? How can they properly communicate and steward donors? How can fundraisers be leaders? So, we asked the experts about these topics. See what they have to say below.
Values statements are important.They sort your audience into two piles: (1) people who might share some value(s) with you; and (2) the rest.You don’t raise money from the rest.Move on. Forget about it.
Like a certain person I refuse to name (because when I do, my mouth tastes corrupt for at least an hour), I have become addicted to Twitter as my primary social medium
Every word matters. Some words matter more. We or you?
The IGNORANCE CEILING is destroying fundraising. Now you know. Meet the frustrated: So MANY fundraisers quit so fast. They learn “best practices” … and then collide with the “Ignorance Ceiling.” I.e., bosses and boards insisting: “I don’t like it. No way.”
Suddenly it seems like everyone’s talking about it. Or maybe “finally” is better than suddenly. The Chronicle of Philanthropy has gotten weighty on the subject. On June 7, it featured a scathing article by Amanda Pearce, CFRE, under the headline, “Nonprofit is a Tax Status, NOT a Business Model.” Even US charity watchdogs have admitted they got it wrong. In case no one at… Read more »
7. Donors aren’t forever. Mostly. Again: Why do you need a donor acquisition program as well as a donor relationship program? Because donors come and go, like pee holes in the snow. A couple of years ago, I polled experts around the world with the question, “How long does the average donor stick with a charity?” There was a gawdly lot of hemming and… Read more »
1. Why Eleven and Three-Quarters? Be a little less predictable. “10 Top Tips” is predictable. “11 Top Tips” is a little less predictable, but still pretty obvious. I ripped this idea off, as most of you immediately recognized, from Harry Potter’s Track Nine and Three-Quarters at King’s Cross Station. Steal well. And often. But don’t steal from failures. Which means you’ll have to learn… Read more »
“Humans learn to develop empathy in the first year of life. We not only learn to recognise emotional reactions in others but also to understand what’s causing those reactions. One toddler will try to comfort another who is crying—not just with any toy, but with that child’s favourite toy.
My passion for the mission of public radio is what led me to leave a career in children’s entertainment and join NPR in 2008. My desire to return to Texas and still be in public radio is what brought me to TPR in 2014. I couldn’t be happier to be here. It’s particularly rewarding to me when someone from our community shares with me… Read more »
Are you engaging your followers on social media? Find out how to analyze your performance and strategy at our Social Media Audits: Setting Your Social Media Strategy workshop on Tuesday, May 22. Ever wonder how organizations like yours seem to be generating more attention or whether your new Instagram strategy really works? Learn how to perform a routine social media audit to find out. … Read more »
On the delicate topic of approvals . . . What is the Mt. Everest-sized obstacle which prevents many nonprofits (yours?) from taking advantage of “donor-centricity”?
Newbies, skeptics, the timid (and Ian) DO worry: “So, Tom, where’s the irrefutable research that switching to ‘donor-centered’ communications will raise more money for our org. than the comms crap we now send out?”
This video was created in partnership with Houston Arts Alliance, specifically to aid nonprofits in the arts with their grant-seeking. In this video, Linda addresses these questions:
