By Marc Pitman Have you started your year-end fundraising letter yet? Fiscal people can do funny things to the way we measure time. In our organization, our year-end was September 26 this year. Many schools and colleges work on a July-June calendar. Others end their year in February for a March start. But for our…
By Sandy Rees How a major gift is defined depends on your organization. It might be $500 or $5,000 or somewhere in between. Typically, we think of a major gift as cash, but it could be an annuity, stock or something else. The defining characteristic is that it is a “Stop And Think” gift. The…
By Sandy Rees A Capital Campaign is a special kind of fundraising campaign that raises money for capital items like buildings, equipment, and vehicles. It can take several months to several years to conduct a Capital Campaign from start to finish. Here are some basic steps involved in a Capital Campaign. 1. Conduct Feasibility Study….
By Sandy Rees If the thought of asking someone face-to-face for a donation scares you, terrifies, or paralyzes you, you’re not alone. Lots of people would rather do most anything else than ask someone for a donation! But it doesn’t have to be that way. If you understand where your fear is coming from, you…
By Sandy Rees Have you ever wondered how often you can ask a donor for a gift without annoying them or causing them to stop giving entirely? If you have, good for you for being sensitive to your donors’ wants and needs. Usually when someone brings up this topic, it’s out of fear – fear…
By Sandy Rees Many nonprofits have a fundraising event that includes a silent auction. And it’s easy to understand why. A silent auction is pretty easy to organize and adds a revenue stream to an event, making it more profitable. Plus, silent auctions are fun for event attendees. If you have a silent auction in…
By Sandy Rees Have you gotten lazy with your donor relations efforts? If you’re like the rest of us, you probably have. We start out being so excited about stewarding donors and building relationships, but over time, it’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day activities and we forget to keep our eye on…
By Sandy Rees Communicating with your donors is critical to building relationships with them. Make sure that what you send them is interesting and meaningful to THEM (not you). They want to read stories about people you’ve helped or how your organization has made an impact in the community. In addition to content, you want…
By Sandy Rees If you want to get serious about raising money for your organization and fully fund your organization’s mission, you must start with your passion for your cause. You need to have a heart full of fire for your organization’s mission and the people you serve. You’ll find that it’s easier to draw…
By Sandy Rees Thanking and acknowledging donors is probably the most important job you have as a fundraiser. There are lots of ways you can express yourself and let donors know how much you appreciate them. Thank Donors Promptly and Sincerely. Get your Thank You letters out pronto! Shoot for 48 hours if you can….
