October, 2024

article thumbnail

Why is it so damned hard to say thank you?

Hands-On Fundraising

Why is it so hard to say thank you? We spend a lot of time thinking about how to raise more money. We labor over the appeal: the language, the images, the right ask. And then, too often, we treat the thank you as an afterthought. It’s not that hard to write a good, emotional […] The post Why is it so damned hard to say thank you? appeared first on Hands-On Fundraising.

IT 229
article thumbnail

Nonprofit Radio for October 28, 2024: Your Strategic Partnerships

Tony Martignetti

Mark Lillis: Your Strategic Partnerships Local nonprofits, companies, government officials and agencies, business leaders, and others can improve your outcomes in ways you cannot imagine. Taking the time to build relationships with potential partners—before you need them—makes a smart investment in your mission and programs. Mark Lillis from Leaven Kids shares his experience and … Continue reading Nonprofit Radio for October 28, 2024: Your Strategic Partnerships → Mark Lillis: Your

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Trending Sources

article thumbnail

The Importance of Showing Gratitude to Your Donors

Ann Green's Nonprofit

Year-end fundraising coincides with the gratitude season, which includes Thanksgiving in the U.S. and the December holidays. This is appropriate since thanking your donors is part of the fundraising equation, even though many nonprofits don’t always realize this. Now is a great opportunity to show some gratitude to your donors. You could hold a thankathon , especially if you haven’t launched your appeal yet.

Donation 163
article thumbnail

BOO-t-ful Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources

Clairification

Throwing shade or throwing light? One takes a little more effort than the other. While throwing shade might be more fun, it eventually runs out of energy. It’s designed to end conversations, not start them, to intimidate, not encourage. Turning on lights helps everyone. — Seth Godin You are on a meaning-seeking journey. Through your work, you create positive change and make lives easier and better.

IT 183
article thumbnail

AI for Grant Writing: 20+ ChatGPT Prompts You Can Use

This prompt guide for ChatGPT contains 20+ tested ChatGPT prompts, along with tips on how to use this tool the best way. Nonprofits can engage with ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas, refine project plans, and craft compelling narratives for grant proposals.

article thumbnail

How to Recruit Volunteers from Start to Finish: 4 Phases to a Successful Volunteer Program

Wild Apricot

Recruiting volunteers doesn't have to be difficult. Create your own recruitment process and engage your volunteers with tips from this amazing guide!

More Trending

article thumbnail

Mind the gap

Hands-On Fundraising

It can be the toughest part of your fundraising communications to grasp. Like a slippery fish, it keeps jumping from your grasp. I’m talking about your fundraising offer, of course. The gap that describes your need. The central part of fundraising that’s so easy to slide over, or step around. The guts of the whole […] The post Mind the gap appeared first on Hands-On Fundraising.

article thumbnail

Nonprofit Radio for October 14, 2024: Tech Policies To Reduce Toxic Productivity

Tony Martignetti

Marina Martinez-Bateman: Tech Policies To Reduce Toxic Productivity First, what is toxic productivity? Then, as your teams use technology more often for work, how might your practices be hurting the people who work with you? Finally, what are the better practices and policies? It’s all covered by Marina Martinez-Bateman, at New Coyote Consulting. (This … Continue reading Nonprofit Radio for October 14, 2024: Tech Policies To Reduce Toxic Productivity → Marina Martinez-Bateman: Tech

Policy 156
article thumbnail

Why Segmenting Your Donors Makes Sense

Ann Green's Nonprofit

Segmenting your donors makes sense on every level. If you’re running a campaign, you can send different letters to different types of donors or segment by gift amount and encourage them to upgrade. You can also create a new donor welcome series, a special thank you mailing for monthly donors, or reach out to lapsed donors. Your donors are not the same.

CRM 176
article thumbnail

Fall Back Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources

Clairification

I’m beginning again, as I often do, with a bit of borrowed insight, this time from a colleague’s newsletter: If I had to sum up my advice for this week, it would be to don’t be scared. There are many reasons to feel scared. I understand that and want to acknowledge that feeling. However, we must remember that within our DNA is something deeply coded to be helpful, kind, compassionate, and focused on collaboration and community.

IT 161
article thumbnail

Nonprofit Direct Mail Fundraising Tips and Best Practices

Wild Apricot

Nonprofit direct mail fundraising is a great way to find new donors. Here are our best tips for making sure your campaign is a success.

article thumbnail

GoFundMe, Meta Combine On Sharing Features

The NonProfit Times

GoFundMe and Meta announced new sharing features intended to drive more donations to nonprofits. Through the collaboration, donors and nonprofits might be able to more easily share the causes they care about with their social networks. Nonprofits using GoFundMe’s software company, Classy, will have access to the enhanced sharing experience on Instagram.

Metrics 103
article thumbnail

Why fundraising communication is different

Hands-On Fundraising

The focus is different in fundraising This is a big difference that can cause friction in your organization. Fundraising communication is about the donor and the beneficiary. Your organization fades into the background. You’re a means to a meaningful end. That’s why “branding” is less important in fundraising. Yes, you need to build trust in […] The post Why fundraising communication is different appeared first on Hands-On Fundraising.

article thumbnail

Nonprofit Radio for October 7, 2024: Grants Readiness & Success

Tony Martignetti

DeaRonda Harrison: Grants Readiness & Success DeaRonda Harrison helps you get ready to accept grants and shares strategies for successful grants research, writing and outcomes. Also, how to win grants quickly (it shouldn’t take years!); how to turn a one-time grant into multiyear funding; and her recommendations for grant research platforms. DeaRonda is the president … Continue reading Nonprofit Radio for October 7, 2024: Grants Readiness & Success → DeaRonda Harrison: Gra

article thumbnail

How Will You Thank Your Year-End Donors?

Ann Green's Nonprofit

I imagine many of you are working on your year-end fundraising campaign. You may have started working on your appeal letter, which is great, but how much time have you spent thinking about how you’ll thank your donors? Maybe not that much. If that’s the case, you’re making a mistake because it’s just as important, if not more important, to plan how you’ll thank your donors.

Donation 176
article thumbnail

Top 10 Strategies to Transform Reluctant Fundraisers into Ready Philanthropy Facilitators

Clairification

What’s holding you back? Culture? Fear? How do you help people afraid of fundraising become comfortable in what should be a mission-aligned role for everyone associated with your nonprofit organization? After all, everyone benefits from increased philanthropy. Not just development staff. Increasingly, successful nonprofits are adopting cultures of philanthropy where everyone involved – administrative staff, program staff, board members, committee members, direct service volunteers and eve

Readiness 161
article thumbnail

501(c)(6) vs 501(c)(3): Simplifying Nonprofit Classifications

Wild Apricot

Learn the key differences between a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(6) organization. How do these classifications impact your revenue streams and how to maintain compliance.

Nonprofit 140
article thumbnail

The Native American Activist Taking On Hollywood — and Winning

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Crystal Echo Hawk aims to change how America — and funders — see her people. And Melinda French Gates just asked her to give away $20 million however she sees fit. By Drew Lindsay Celia D. Luna Crystal Echo Hawk founded and leads IllumiNative, which is building a network of Native leaders and non-Native allies working to drive narrative change around Native Americans.

133
133
article thumbnail

Why you need a great ask at year-end

Hands-On Fundraising

We’re heading into the year-end flurry of fundraising. What’s your ask? Tis the season, and fundraisers everywhere are preparing. What’s your year-end ask? It’s also the season for multiple “giving days”… like GivingTuesday or December 31st. I hope you’re already polishing up the last details of your year-end campaign. But before you mail anything or […] The post Why you need a great ask at year-end appeared first on Hands-On Fundraising.

article thumbnail

Recipe for Success #1 – Take Me Out to the Ball Game

The Almoner

This post begins a new series of articles called “Recipes for Success.” Each “recipe” will be a successful fundraising model used by a Knights of Columbus council in a parish setting. This post begins a new series of articles called “Recipes for Success.” Each “recipe” will be a successful fundraising model used by a Knights of Columbus council in a parish setting.

Contract 105
article thumbnail

How to Reach New Audiences With Your Nonprofit’s Message

Ann Green's Nonprofit

Want to reach new audiences to expand your nonprofit’s supporter base? Explore these ideas to engage with new groups of potential supporters. By Jay Love Is your nonprofit looking to reach new audiences with your fundraising appeals , volunteer events, and advocacy opportunities? You’re in the right place! Reaching new audiences is critical to growing your organization’s supporter base and fostering reliable revenue to fund your cause.

Media 176
article thumbnail

How to Project Manage Your Nonprofit Story

Clairification

Your nonprofit’s story is the whole ball of wax. Without it, you’ve got nothing. So let’s really talk about this for a minute. A story is not “Give us money because we’re good guys and do good work.” Nor are “Sustain humanitarian aid,” “Support the arts,” or “Save our rivers” stories. Sure, there may be some implicit narratives hiding within these phrases, but they’re really tag lines or calls to action.

article thumbnail

Lead Generation for Nonprofits: 9 Essential Strategies to Attract Donors

Wild Apricot

Learn effective strategies to grow your nonprofit's donor base, engage supporters and drive meaningful impact with lead generation. Learn tips, tools, and best practices to maximize your organization's outreach.

Nonprofit 134
article thumbnail

What to Say on November 6 and How to Say It

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

The words that philanthropy and nonprofits use can stoke division, particularly in tense moments, a new study finds. Here's how to get your message across and bring people together after the election. By Drew Lindsay Shutterstock The words that philanthropy and nonprofits use can stoke division, particularly in tense moments, a new study finds. Here's how to get your message across and bring people together after the election.

IT 128
article thumbnail

Year-End Fundraising in 2024: What to Expect

NonProfit PRO

Because nonprofits place great emphasis on year-end campaigns, it’s crucial to understand how year-end fundraising is shaping up this year.

article thumbnail

What Halloween candy taught me about fundraising

Future Fundraising Now

I like candy. That’s why I like Halloween — the only reason, come to think of it. The other day, I ate a couple of Tootsie Fruit Rolls. These are fruit-flavored versions of regular brown-flavored Tootsie Rolls. The regular kind taste like an unholy combination of fake chocolate, wax, and dirt. The fruit version is pretty yummy. While I was eating a Fruit Roll, I noticed the release of saliva that followed biting into it.

article thumbnail

Why You Need to Plan a Multichannel Fundraising Campaign

Ann Green's Nonprofit

Year-end fundraising season is here. I’m already seeing appeal letters in my mailbox and this is just the beginning. Speaking of appeal letters, you should plan to send one by mail. I know email is easier and less expensive, but people respond better to mail and it’s well worth the investment. However, if you just send one fundraising letter and wait for the donations to come in, prepare to be disappointed.

article thumbnail

6 Strategies to Convey Your Most Emotional Fundraising Appeal Story

Clairification

People are wired for stories. We use them to understand our world. But do the same stories work in any time? For any person? No. You need to understand your SMIT story – ‘Single Most Important Thing’ – at this moment in time. And that SMIT will change, depending on the environment in which you’re operating. You need to know your audience. Today. The story you told last year may not work as well this year.

article thumbnail

How to Create a Winning Volunteer Newsletter: Ideas, Examples and Templates to Inspire

Wild Apricot

Do you find yourself sending a thousand emails to your volunteers that never get opened? Here's why you might want to send them a volunteer newsletter instead, plus great examples and templates you can use.

Template 135
article thumbnail

Who Needs a Foundation? For Melinda French Gates, a $250 Million Contest Keeps Her Philanthropy Lean

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

The grants will range from $1 million to $5 million and are meant to support small organizations focused on women's mental and physical health. Lever for Change will manage the competition. By Alex Daniels Taylor Hill/FilmMagic Since resigning from the Gates Foundation in May, Melinda French Gates has shone a public spotlight on women’s issues by making a $1 billion commitment to nonprofits working to improve women’s health and increase their political sway.

Grant 129
article thumbnail

Congratulations to LA Dodgers for their 2024 World Series Win!

GrantNews

The World Series is baseball at its finest. In case you haven’t heard, the 2024 Major League Baseball World Series just concluded. We’re excited to add our congratulations to the LA Dodgers as this year’s World Series Champions. They beat the mighty NY Yankees to claim their eighth World Series title! Baseball is considered one of the most popular sports in athletics, with many different levels of play, ranging from Pee-Wee leagues (beginning at age 5), to high school and colle

Grant 111
article thumbnail

“To see this all this year when others have declining donations, has been nothing short of amazing to me.”

Pamela Grow

Do you ever feel like you’re treading water…and not really making a difference? That’s how I was feeling the other day. I’d just heard some sad news, I’ve been administering chemo to Wally, the wonder pup, and this election has me on edge. Then Dawn’s email arrived. Here, I’ll let you read it… “I don’t expect you to remember me. I am the co-founder of an animal and nature sanctuary in upstate NY.

Donation 147
article thumbnail

NPO Cybersecurity Getting New Defense Level

The NonProfit Times

NetHope announced the launch of the Partner Collective for the Global Humanitarian Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Global Humanitarian ISAC) during its recent 2024 NetHope Global Summit. This initiative unites a group of organizations dedicated to providing funding, expertise, tools, and technology to support the Global Humanitarian ISAC mission of enhancing cybersecurity for global humanitarian and conservation nonprofits.

Training 103
article thumbnail

Maximizing Grant Success: A Step-by-Step Guide to Efficient Research, Tools, and Strategy

CharityHowTo

In the ever-evolving world of nonprofit funding, effective grant research is crucial for success. Diane Leonard, a seasoned expert in grant writing, recently shared invaluable insights on maximizing grant research with tools, strategies, and best practices for nonprofits of all sizes. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of her session , designed to guide you through a streamlined and results-driven approach to grant acquisition.

Grant 94