We are here to chime in on everyone’s favorite topic over this past month: POLITICS. The talk of the town has been Pence’s war on Planned Parenthood (and the subsequent retaliation by donors giving in his name) but what does an administration change mean for other nonprofit organizations? Every administration change in the United States … Continue reading Grow your own individual donors!
Author: ttrevens
Consultants are people too!
Fall issues in the changing of leaves, the smell of PSLs permeate the Starbucks air, and so too the nonprofit conference season begins. I embark on the journey through a long, seemingly endless corridor of ED’s, development directors, and program people to make my way to my first session of the day. Doing my best … Continue reading Consultants are people too!
The Art of Asking…On Social Media
I can’t say enough about reading Amanda Palmer’s book The Art of Asking from a fundraising perspective, so we will continue talking about it this week. Amanda strikes another nonprofit fundraising chord when she talks about how important your social media presence is in getting your message out to your fans (donors). Near the … Continue reading The Art of Asking…On Social Media
The Art of Asking in Fundraising
Up until recently, my interaction with Amanda Palmer was limited to listening to one of her songs on Youtube, being asked by a friend to see her as part of the Dresden Dolls, and watching her Ted Talk. It was after sharing her talk with several of my colleagues that I decided it was due … Continue reading The Art of Asking in Fundraising
When to give a board member the boot
I once walked into an organization that hired us and found out that they had multiple board members who had been on the board for longer than some of my friends had been alive. A board being comprised of the same members for 40 some-odd years is a major red flag. What that says is that the organization … Continue reading When to give a board member the boot
How to throw a fundraising event that's not boring
A few years ago I went to an event of an organization with a $10 million budget. While tying my tie I had that giddy feeling only fellow fundraisers can understand; I was ready to nab some best practices from an organization that has a fundraising staff of 15+ to use at my future events! … Continue reading How to throw a fundraising event that's not boring
Hiring for Success
In the nonprofit world where raising funds is a constant focus and there is external pressure from donors to keep administrative costs low, there appears hypocrisy. We have all heard Executive Directors exclaim that they need additional staff. While the reality of “too much to do, not enough people to do it” is a valid … Continue reading Hiring for Success
The Case for Dedicated Social Media Staff
Nonprofits are often slow to dedicate time to social media interfaces; they recognize the potential value on a surface level but are chained to the idea that email is still the most effective form of online communication with donors. A Case Foundation survey found that 88% of nonprofits surveyed cited email and website as their … Continue reading The Case for Dedicated Social Media Staff
The Price You Pay for Bad Financial Management
Quickbooks, financial reports, audits… Oh my! Managing the financials for organizations of any size can be a daunting task, and stepping into that role is no easy chore. You never know what you are walking into (seriously, we have seen individuals who were previously managing these responsibilities essentially making their own rules for bookkeeping). We … Continue reading The Price You Pay for Bad Financial Management
Best practices: get your nonprofit back in the game
Want to learn how to be better at your fundraising job? Listen to this podcast. I can hear Malcolm Gladwell lamenting, “what’s a podcast about free throws have to do with fundraising for my nonprofit?” Well glad you asked Gladwell; the underlying message about resisting change is easily transferable to the nonprofit sector. The episode … Continue reading Best practices: get your nonprofit back in the game
Responding to Donor Fatigue
If you Google “donor fatigue,” many of the results will tell you it is a myth. Donor fatigue is dismissed as a concept created by lazy fundraisers to justify bad fundraising strategy. This Nonprofit Hub article is just one example that stands behind the claim that donor fatigue is a fallacy. To some extent, this … Continue reading Responding to Donor Fatigue
Tips for improving your grant writing
Here are a list of quick tips to help you immediately improve your grant writing: Write like you are going to get the money. If you use the term “proposed project,” the funder may think you are doing a project specific to their grant rather than a predetermined project of the organization that you are trying … Continue reading Tips for improving your grant writing