Fundraising
Develop Your Fund-Raising Plan with Consensus
Introduction Are you working on a fund-raising plan—or planning to? When seeking to construct a plan for a fund-raising campaign, the persons charged by their non-profit organizations with that responsibility often ask for a plan "boilerplate," or a "template,"...
In the Beginning
All fund-raising campaigns must begin with a realization that the organization needs money, usually voiced to the person charged with fund-raising as, "We need to raise $________." The amount varies, but once accepted it becomes the Goal. Whether the effort is to be...
Nonprofit Fund-Raising Demystified
When it comes to fund-raising, there are truths and myths. The truths illuminate the path to success. The myths speak with the dark voice of "conventional wisdom" of what can't be done and won't work. Throughout my career I have had to overcome three myths of...
The Executive Director and Development Director It Can Be a Relationship Made in Heaven or Hell
In a nonprofit organization, no single internal relationship is more important than that between the executive director and development director. One carries the responsibility of leading the organization to the efficient execution of its mission, and the other...
In Search of the Elusive Major Giver
What a Major Giver is How to find them What you need to have in place before conducting a Major Gifts Campaign Your organization needs money. Big money. The kind of money you can't raise by going out and asking for donations of $10, $20, $100, or perhaps even $1,000....
Consulting Agreement for an Annual Fund Campaign
The following example of an annual fund development agreement between a non-profit organization and a fund-raising consultant is suggested as a guideline for: Organizations having little or no experience in drafting such documents. Experienced development...
The Fallacy of Financial Ratios: Why Outcome Evaluation Is the Better Gauge of Grant Worthiness
Talk of developing a system to evaluate the sustainability of non-profit organizations has been on the rise. Centered around measuring outcomes in terms of percentages or ratios, the goal of such a system appears to be twofold: To create a filter that will allow...
Your Organization’s Next Special Event: “Fund-Raiser” Or “Friend-Raiser?”
Should a special event be focused on making friends for an organization or bringing in money? On the one hand, every organization needs friends to help promote its mission and to be there for future fund-raising needs. But on the other, there are bills to be paid...
Don’t Make Your Organization’s Statement of Purpose A”Mission Impossible”
We read in all of the right publications and we are told by the experts that a non-profit organization's mission statement should be contained on the back of a business card, declared in as few words as possible on the organization's letterhead, etc.—and even, as a...
Cultivate a “Grass-Roots” Fund-Raising Campaign for Your Organization
Many non-profit organizations serve individuals who pay very little or who are unable to pay anything in the way of fees for the services they receive. They generally are in no position to give even the smallest donation to their organizations' annual fund. In all...