Blog

In a blog post from last year, I encouraged fundraisers to break the “rule” that all board members be required to fundraise (you can find that post here). The basic premise being that we should strategically recruit certain board members to actively ask donors for contributions and lean into the fact that other volunteers are on our boards for other skill sets. One of the many follow up questions I received was naturally, “So how do I keep board members engaged in philanthropy if they don’t ask others for money?”

In theory, we all know the importance of data when it comes to working efficiently and effectively. We’ve heard phrases like “data driven” and understand that to be good stewards of our work we should be using data as a regular part of our work.

Yet many nonprofits struggle to truly integrate data into their culture and in their decision-making processes. Here are some ideas on how you can more effectively integrate data into your organization:

One of my favorite DBD axioms is “Listen the gift.” We use this as we coach our clients through a major or transformational gift ask. Listening to our prospect is an important piece of the puzzle in creating a meaningful outcome for the donor and the organization.

After the disruption of the past four years, it seems a great time to pause and think differently – not just about the organization, changing demographics, AI, or the shifts in technology that are all affecting our fundraising, but about our donors. They are the heart of it all. 

Many nonprofits wonder how to identify people who have DAFs and how to get their cause in front of them. It can be a little complicated but with some investigation into how the DAF is administered, you can find the person behind the DAF and start to share your mission and impact with them. Let’s explore...

The last 18 months have both challenged some of our long-held beliefs about fundraising and reinforced many of the lessons we know to be true. 

This is the second of a two-part series. Read the first part here. 

In a recent strategic planning meeting, a former hospital president suggested to the committee, “We must collaborate, or we won’t survive.”

For years I coached my non-profit employees and volunteers about how to improve their success in securing gifts for non-profits. And for years, I lifted up the benefits of face-to-face interactions and downplayed direct response as an acceptable means of solicitation. 

I have the wonderful opportunity to learn from our clients and their volunteers across the country. The wonderful balance of staff and volunteer engagement makes this work rich and rewarding.

How much time do you spend on employee issues? Hiring, orienting, training, mentoring…cumulatively, I bet it is a lot. Sitting in a CEO’s office recently, he recounted all his challenges with development staff: “We recruit, orient, train and then BOOM! They’re gone!”