The top 10 ways to strengthen your donor Call to Action and raise more money
The number one reason donors do not give aside from not being asked is that they are not provided a problem to solve. Or at least a problem that they understand why they need to solve it. It is in their donor "Calls to Action" that a slight…
Raising more money from your current loyal donors through repeat and best-ever gifts
What happens when you don't invest in donor acquisition? Well, your organisation will face a declining donor base with the need to raise more money from fewer donors. With about 10% of donor bases naturally declining each year, the focus…
Hosting Your First Fundraising Cultivation Event
Donor cultivation events should be an important part of your fundraising program. Whether you are a small or large non-profit, or if you are raising money for annual operations for capital campaigns, you need to incorporate them as a vital…
How to keep your small shop fundraising focus on your major donor work
After having served most of my career as a Director of Development in a small organisation, I understand the realities of trying to handle all of the major tasks and responsibilities that come up daily; plus the fires that seem to endlessly…
We're growing our interim fundraising division to help YOU reach your possibility.
Let me share a story with you... A few years back when I first started consulting, I provided organisations like yourself with strategic fund development audits and assessments and then crafted finely honed plans. What I thought were roadmaps…
How to get your fundraising "Mojo" back through finding your ideal development position
Not satisfied with where you are currently in your field? Feeling like you have lost your "Mojo?" I know the feeling, I have "been there done that" as they say. What often happens next, is that we begin to apply for job after job with…
How to create a manual that ensures your database stays clean and up to date
Now that December is here, I have been running many lists and queries and during those list pulls, I have noted inconsistent data in databases that have caused numerous complications during one of the busiest times of the year. As a result,…
How to recruit the best fundraising volunteers possible
Fundraising volunteers are critical to our success as they are the "ambassadors" of our fundraising efforts. I often get asked, what is the best way of recruiting them to join in fundraising efforts? And, while I believe that, in some cases,…
How to run your annual fund like a capital campaign
Annual campaigns can be run just like capital campaigns. Yes, you heard it right. Far too often, I see an annual campaign as only a single, direct mail campaign. However, you can apply the same campaign structure to annual campaigns as you…
How to facilitate a donor prospect rating session
While wealth screening is an essential tool for fundraisers of today, I still hold true to augmenting a screening with the old "tried and true" Prospect Rating and Ranking Session. What is a Rating and Ranking Session and how would you hold…
Using a gift chart to validate a fundraising goal and campaign
When you have been presented with a fundraising goal, the best next step is to determine the feasibility of that goal. One of the most challenging tasks is setting out to accomplish a fundraising goal without knowing whether or not you have…
Create an "evergreen" grants management system
Ever wonder the best way to approach your foundation research? Not sure where to begin or what tools to use? Don't want to have to do research over and over again each year? Do you have changing priorities that need constant research? …
