The final months of the year are the most important fundraising period for many nonprofits. With donors eager to make meaningful contributions before December 31st, now is the time to be intentional, strategic, and proactive. A 6-Part Year-End Giving Checklist This year-end giving checklist will help you focus on what you should be doing … [Read more...]
How to Identify Potential Donors for Your Cause
Do you wish you raised more money from individuals? If so, what’s stopping you? I often hear from my readers and clients that they don’t know where to start. 2 Simple Ways to Identify Potential Donors There are a handful of simple ways to identify prospects for your organization. 1. Review Your Donor Data The first step is to … [Read more...]
The Art of Storytelling for Nonprofit Fundraisers: A 3-Act Structure
If you want donors to give — and give generously — you need to do more than present facts and figures. You need to tell stories. A compelling story draws people in, makes them care, and moves them to act. One of the most timeless and effective ways to tell a story is using the 3-act structure: Exposition Conflict Resolution I … [Read more...]
Easy Does it: Solicit a Major Gift by Unlocking Your Inner Child
As children, we have no trouble asking for things we want. When we're small, we ask for toys, games, and candy. And while we hear “no” frequently as children, it doesn’t seem to deter us from asking again, and again, and again. Yet, somehow by the time we reach adulthood, “no” seems harder to swallow and our instinct to ask for what we want … [Read more...]
How to Successfully Ask Your Board Members for Gifts
Imagine this... Your board president starts a meeting by letting every board member know that you are counting on 100% board participation this year. (She’s off to a good start.) Then she proceeds to hand out a pledge form and asks people to send it in before the next meeting. She then calls for approval of last month’s minutes. That’s … [Read more...]
The Importance of Taking Calculated Risks in Fundraising
Fundraising is not for the faint of heart. It takes courage, persistence, and a willingness to step outside your comfort zone. But more than anything, it requires taking calculated risks—especially when it comes to asking for major gifts. Too often, nonprofit fundraisers and leaders shy away from big asks. They're worried they’ll hear “no” … [Read more...]
Carrots and Sticks: Motivating Fundraisers to Take Action
In the world of nonprofit fundraising, success hinges on the ability of fundraisers to take proactive steps -- pick up the phone, send that email, schedule that meeting, and ask for a gift. But what truly motivates a fundraiser to act? Is it the promise of rewards or the pressure of consequences? Or simply an intrinsic value? (And is … [Read more...]
In 2025, Major Gift Fundraising is More Important than Ever
A recent New York Times article was titled, “White House Budget Office Orders Pause in All Federal Loans and Grants,” and it took my breath away. If this “pause” holds for several days, the implications for the nonprofit sector are vast, to say the least. Diversify Your Funding and Seek Major Gifts I don’t believe private citizens can … [Read more...]
You Have Everything You Need to Raise Major Gifts — Tap It!
Almost 10 years ago, I challenged development directors to get “rich and famous” in a blog post that has over 350 comments on it. (For comparison, my average post gets maybe two comments.) Rich in terms of donations to their organizations. Famous, as in a “rock star” among their board members and colleagues. In other words, the best, … [Read more...]
5 Keys to Raising Major Gifts in the Final Weeks of the Year
While I would never recommend rushing a major gift ask, I’m guessing there are several asks you could make in the next few weeks. If you really want to boost your year-end revenue, as well as establish your prowess as a major gift superstar, make a commitment to solicit at least ten major gifts before year-end. I know you can do it! 1. … [Read more...]
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