Feb
01
2019
Is Life Insurance a Charitable Thing?
Life Insurance benefits can be a huge revenue boost for a charity. In Canada, there are really two different ways that a charity can treat a...
Myths
Jan
11
2019
People Know When the End of the Year is!!!
This is truly a pet peeve of mine. I received no less than 22 emails from various charities (local, national and international) in the last 10...
Sep
14
2018
Do Underpaid Employees Perform Better Due to Dedication?
Paying a non-profit employee is always fraught with issues — there is never a right number. Somebody is always disappointed. It could be the employee or...
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...
May
25
2018
What is the likely size of a first time donor?
The quick answer is 5 ft 10 in., but I jest. The fundraising legend himself, Jerry Panas. reported in 2017 “When Harvard did a study after their...
Jun
02
2017
The Top 10 Myths About Fundraising (or Fundraisers) Part 10
Most donors are businesses. This is a pretty big falsehood. But let me clarify by defining (in my mind) what a business is (or isn’t) —...
May
26
2017
The Top 10 Myths About Fundraising Part 9
Introducing donors to other charities will hurt my fundraising efforts for my own charity. For those folks that know me well, they also know that I...
May
12
2017
The Top 10 Myths About Fundraising Part 8
Fundraising is the same as sales. This is a common misconception. While it is true that there are a lot of similarities between fundraising and sales,...
May
05
2017
The Top 10 Myths About Fundraising Part 7
Fundraising is a dirty word. I came across a quote once that read “Fundraising is the noble art of teaching people the pleasure of giving”. That...
Apr
28
2017
The Top 10 Myths About Fundraising Part 6
A board can hire a rainmaker as their professional fundraiser and absolve themselves of the fiduciary duty of fundraising. Believe it or not, by hiring a...