Fundraising Articles

Judging the best conditions and asking properly is one rule. I believe that another part of the ask process requires its own rule. Asking for a major gift requires discipline around a very important moment in the process. That moment is the period of time just after the question. When the moment arrives you should […]

With so much pressure to get things done — to ‘deliver’ — we tend to think of others only in terms of what we need from them. There are stewardship programs that incorporate the Thank You letters and emails, and annual stewardship events that acknowledge the impact that donors are making (and these are wonderful

Whenever there is an opportunity, I make it my practice to ask major donors why they give, and I have lost count of the number of times I have heard a major donor respond “because I was asked”. DONOR DECISION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ASKING Some fundraisers claim that “You will miss out of 100% of the gifts that you don’t ask

Do you have that sinking feeling come Sunday night – when you know you must face your workplace the next day? Do not fret; there is a way that you can contribute to shifting your workplace away from the doldrums and towards vibrancy and improved team morale. There was a bright yellow book in my

Which one of these two speech openings make you want to hear more? “Let me give some statistics ….” “Let me tell you a story ….” For the majority, the second one wins. Good fundraising stories nearly always beat content full of statistics and figures. Stories are usually more interesting and engaging if they are

Donors give to your cause not because you have needs, but because you meet needs. Put another way, any individual involved in fundraising would do well to remember that – if you want to increase donations – it’s not about you and it’s not about how impressive your organisation is. Rather, it’s about helping the

Major Gift Solicitation A donor call report — or what I like to refer to as an ROC (Report of Contact), is a key element in any successful fundraising operation. This donor report is a record of the who, what, where, when, why, and how concerning the interaction between an organisation and a donor or

How do you know what your donors are interested in? Have you taken the time to really talk to them and find out? You might be surprised. The best fundraisers consistently focus on matching their communication content and style to the specific interests of their donors. They put a professional effort into learning what their

Photo caption: Donated building in Wellington with donor Susan Price Photo credit: Dominion Post, pg. 1 (16 Feb 2019) A NEIGHBOURLY GIFT Fundraising textbooks don’t usually tell you to be nice to your neighbours, but I have known neighbours of schools, universities, and research centres to leave cash and real estate to the institutions next

BUILDING DONOR RELATIONSHIPS AND DONOR RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT IS CRUCIAL Fundraising involves a great deal of relationship cultivation and management. Whether a donor gives $2 or $2 million, relationships matter and constructive contact is necessary. The nature of the relationship will be different for a $2 donor compared to a $2 million donor, but, in each