A few years ago, I wrote an article that listed seven different truths about fundraising (here). The past 14 months have been quite a roller coaster ride for many charities, but I firmly believe that those that have succeeded are those charities that have focussed on stewardship. I address some of these points made...
Continue reading...Myths
Calling out Bad Fundraising
Perhaps it has been the fact that we are into year two of this crazy pandemic. Maybe it is because I have seen many charitable organizations totally botch their fundraising lately. Or, it could even be that I am a fifty-year-old curmudgeon. The fact remains that after decades of being a professional fundraiser, I...
Continue reading...Mixed Messages about 2020 Fundraising
To say that 2020 has been the wildest fundraising ride in history is an understatement. The year started as any normal year would and then, BAM! COVID-19. Fast forward almost 8 months later, and nothing seems quite normal. Many are still working from home. Many are not working at all. And fundraising has been...
Continue reading...What Comes First — the Overhead, or the Revenue?
Every charity that I have worked with in my 25-plus years worries about overhead costs. As they should. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) also has a concern with overhead costs per dollar raised. As a result, they have set out some guidelines that it feels charities should strive for, namely: Generally acceptable costs are...
Continue reading...Top Articles to Date
Everybody loves summer. It is a time to relax, spending time with the family, and decompress. Wait…. Haven’t I just been spending the last 3 full months with the family!?!?! In any event, I will be taking some downtime over the summer, so if you’re missing my weekly blog, I encourage you to look...
Continue reading...8 Mistakes that Hurt Fundraising
Everybody makes fundraising mistakes. Hopefully, everybody learns from their mistakes. But, wouldn’t it be nice if we could learn from others’ mistakes without having to endure the error ourselves? Here are eight fundamental fundraising mistakes: 1: Treating Donors as ATM’s This is my number one pet peeve and I have written many articles about...
Continue reading...Don’t make people’s minds up for them
Sometimes, people who fundraise are uncomfortable when canvassing. It is usually related to the great unknown — how will the prospect/donor react? What will they say? Unless you have been blessed with extrasensory perception, there is no way that you would ever know (with certainty) what the other person is thinking. There are, however,...
Continue reading...Doing More With Less
I have heard this so many times in my life as a fundraising professional that I want to throw up. To be honest, “doing more with less” is an incredibly insulting statement. Fundraisers are always under-resourced and that, in turn, produces burnout and anger. Has doing more with less ever worked? I have often said that people should work...
Continue reading...Showing the True Cost of Events
I have long had a love/hate relationship with events. Perhaps it’s because of the inherent risk of running an event (you can potentially lose money), or perhaps it is because I personally prefer one-on-one cultivation events (and really dislike crowds). In any event, it is of utmost importance that you calculate the true cost...
Continue reading...Giving Tuesday — Does it Work?
I should preface this article with the statement that the views contained herein are solely my own. Personally, I have huge issues with Giving Tuesday. I actually think that this day does a huge disservice to our profession. Let me explain why: Giving Tuesday focuses only on giving money. Essentially a transaction on the Tuesday...
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