Sep
07
2018
Vendors Often Make Great Supporters
Far too often, fundraisers overlook some of their strongest supporters —- their vendors. In most non-profits, the single largest expense is salaries. But after that, many...
Aug
10
2018
Seven Quick Lessons I’ve Learned
So I have been in this profession for over 20 years and I think I’ve boiled it down to seven lessons: The number one reason that people donate...
Aug
03
2018
14 Interesting Fundraising Statistics
As a former statistics major, I have come across many stats in my fundraising life. Here are some of my favorites: 1. The average philanthropic gift has...
Jul
27
2018
Is Using a Sad Photo Manipulative?
I have spent many blogs writing about emotions — how you need to have emotion in your case, your direct mail letters, and your canvasses. I...
Jul
20
2018
5 tips to mine your database for upgradable donors
I have often said that most charities do not need to find more new donors to add to their database in order to raise funds, rather...
Jul
13
2018
Lead with emotions
Fundraising is an activity full of emotions. So many folks out there focus on the cerebral — tax benefits, mechanics of donating, etc. To put it...
Jul
06
2018
Hmmm… The numbers don’t add up!
I have a degree in Statistics (7 out of 10 folks say this is neat, btw.) One of the first things I learned is that statistics...
Jun
29
2018
Should you Limit the Number of Direct Mail?
There is not a more contentious issue in fundraising out there than Direct Mail. There are camps that say you aren’t mailing enough, while there are...
Jun
22
2018
What if our charity disappeared tonight?
Presumably, every charity out there has a raison d’être — a reason for being. (And the reason for being is never about raising money — that is merely...
Jun
15
2018
Empowering kids through fundraising
A few weekends ago, it was a flurry of activity in our household — I chose to participate in the Manulife Ride for Heart cycle event...