Hands-On Fundraising

JANUARY 16, 2024

Empathy – the feeling that you understand and share another person’s experiences and emotions: the ability to share someone else’s feelings While sympathy is compassion for someone else’s situation, empathy is feeling their pain. Sympathy keeps its distance. Empathy is a powerful connection to someone else. We’ve evolved to feel empathy because it’s useful in understanding […] The post Empathy: the key to better fundraising appeared first on Hands-On Fundraisi

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Lightning Fast Grant Writing

JANUARY 10, 2024

The grant innovator form is a simple document I use to organize an agency as it seeks grants. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with this surprisingly valuable document by checking out the link at the end of this article. By asking your colleagues to fill it out, you will tactfully motivate them to help you get grant funding. The form also subtly calls upon you and your associates to think through why a program is needed by your clients in the first place.

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Ann Green's Nonprofit

NOVEMBER 18, 2024

Your email inbox can look downright scary these days. This was especially true during the long U.S. election season. Soon we’ll be bombarded with Cyber Monday and Black Friday ads. And then there’s Giving Tuesday. All of this can be too much, too much, and many of these messages look like spam. In an ideal world Giving Tuesday wouldn’t be associated with political emails and Cyber Monday ads.

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Clairification

NOVEMBER 25, 2024

Studies show one-fourth of all charitable giving happens in December. For some organizations (maybe yours?), it’s as much as one-third. Year-end fundraising is not chopped chicken liver! While you absolutely should be using multiple fundraising channels to get best results, right now whatever you’ve got planned for offline is pretty much cooked.

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Proposal Readiness Fundraising IT 279

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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.

ChatGPT

Pamela Grow

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

Recent nonprofit trends show that giving is on the decline, decreasing by 2.1% between 2022 and 2023. To keep donors around and retain their support, organizations have to grab supporters’ attention and make their communications stand out from the thousands of messages their audience receives each day. The best way to accomplish this feat is through segmentation: the process of grouping your supporters based on their similarities and sending them targeted messages they’re more likely to respond

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Joe Garecht Fundraising

JANUARY 22, 2024

If you're working for a small non-profit… one that is raising less than $1 million per year… then I have some bad news and some good news for you. First, let me give you the bad news: much of the information that is available online on how to raise more money does NOT apply for your organization. If you've taken webinars and classes and read e-books and thought to yourself, “We could never do that – we would have to hire 3 more fundraisers or spend $100,000 more on devel

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Tony Martignetti

OCTOBER 27, 2024

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

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Wild Apricot

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Advertising for your nonprofit doesn't have to be expensive. This guide will cover the basics of advertising for nonprofits, show you how to create nonprofit ad campaigns and provide real-world examples to help you make the most of your advertising budget and broaden your reach.

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Budget Nonprofit 166

Millionaire Grant Lady

DECEMBER 2, 2024

Current and potential MGL clients often ask me, “ If we are selected, how long will it take to get the grant money? ” I can empathize with their impatience and frustration, especially after completing such a long application preparation process. They have important work to do in the world, and their programs need funds to operate successfully, so what’s the hold up?

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Grant Grants IT Federal Grants 130

GrantNews

DECEMBER 9, 2024

Let’s talk about women-led businesses. Did you know there are over 13 million female-led businesses in the U.S.? That accounts for 42% of all businesses in the country! Together, they generate over $3.9 trillion in annual revenue. And the number of women-led businesses continues to grow each day! Now, let’s focus on grants for women-led businesses.

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Hands-On Fundraising

JUNE 11, 2024

Feeling stressed? In the United States, recent polls found that 70 percent of American workers consider their workplace a significant source of stress, whereas 51 percent report job stress reduces their productivity. (via PsychCentral) Do we have to choose? A while back, I read this article in the New York Times by Anne-Marie Slaughter about […] The post Your work or a life: a painful choice no one should have to make appeared first on Hands-On Fundraising.

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Fundraising 275

Lightning Fast Grant Writing

SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA – How often do you need to repeat your message? A lot… One of the most sobering things about running a non-profit charity is to realize how hard it is to get out the charity’s name and message. Large corporations manage to buy visibility for their brands by purchasing large print ads, riveting video ads, and radio spots.

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Ann Green's Nonprofit

AUGUST 13, 2024

Thanking your donors is just as important, if not more important than fundraising. Yet many organizations spend a lot of time putting together a fundraising campaign and then treat thanking their donors as an afterthought. Donor retention continues to be a problem. One of many reasons is because people don’t feel appreciated. Prioritizing gratitude and donor relations will help.

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Clairification

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

But it’s not easy for you. It’s hard work. Because, inside the mind of a potential donor, many things are working against you. I don’t know enough about you. I can’t make a real difference. I don’t think of myself as a philanthropist. I don’t know how to evaluate one charity against another. I don’t know how much to give. I don’t have time for this.

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Publishing Fundraising Media IT 268

Pamela Grow

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

Giving by bequests accounted for $42.68 billion, or approximately 5% of the total philanthropic pie in 2023. Are you getting your share? Contrary to what you may have heard, incorporating planned giving into your fundraising doesn’t have to be complex. Quite the opposite, you can use what you already have in place. In this MotivateMonday session, we’re joined by Christopher McGown of Peak9860.

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RBW Strategy

MARCH 7, 2024

The 4 Critical Steps to an Effective Grant Research Strategy “It doesn’t hurt to just apply.

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Grant Grants IT 260

Clairification

APRIL 8, 2024

I find a widespread misunderstanding about the notion of what constitutes being donor-centered. It derives from two misconceptions: Assuming people don’t want to be asked. Spending all your time on cultivation, assuming folks don’t need an ask and will simply give spontaneously as a result of being wooed. Both of these rationales short-change your would-be donors.

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Clairification

JUNE 24, 2024

Everything I learned about saying “thank you” I learned from: My mother. Miss Manners. Penelope Burk. According to Burk’s research from Donor-Centered Fundraising , more than 80% of thank you letters start with “ Thank you for your generous gift of …” or “ On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you for your generous gift of …” Y A W N Want to stand out?

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Fundraising 297

Clairification

AUGUST 12, 2024

You’ve got one month before fall fundraising season begins in earnest. What will you do with it? I’VE GOT 10 TOP STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU GET ALL YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW! We’ll start with the first five today. Clean up Data Purge Mailing Lists Review Staff, Vendors and Freelancers Set Priority Objectives Based on Last Year’s Results Solidify a Multi-Channel Marketing Campaign Next week we’ll look at: Send Impact Reports to Set the Stage Stock Up on Compelling, Relevant Stories and Photos Connect with

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Ann Green's Nonprofit

APRIL 11, 2024

In theory, a newsletter can be a great way to engage with your donors. In reality, that doesn’t often happen because most donor newsletters can be used as a cure for insomnia. They’re too long and filled with boring articles that brag about how wonderful the organization is. A newsletter is a vital part of the ask, thank report, repeat formula and you can’t just go through the motions.

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Ann Green's Nonprofit

MARCH 21, 2024

In my last post, I wrote about potential missed opportunities for donor engagement. You may think you’re practicing donor engagement by sending thank you letters and an e-newsletter, but is the content actually engaging? It’s often formulaic and just downright dull. Many nonprofits send all their donors the same appeal and thank you letters. In these letters, they never thank a donor for their past support or acknowledge they’re a monthly donor.

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Clairification

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make me a Match! While you might be tempted to guess “If I were a Rich Man,” that’s not it. Because that would be making fundraising mostly about money. And, actually, fundraising is mostly about love. So the correct answer is “ Matchmaker.” That’s right. Your job is to make the perfect match between the values your organization enacts and the values your donor shares.

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Ann Green's Nonprofit

JANUARY 11, 2024

Donor stories and testimonials help show appreciation for supporters and encourage others to get involved. Use these tips to write better donor stories. By Anne Stefanyk Donors want to know that their contributions matter to your nonprofit. According to Double the Donation’s donor retention guide , not receiving a proper thank-you is one of the top reasons donors stop giving.

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Ann Green's Nonprofit

JULY 30, 2024

Donor motivations are the “why” that drives their support of your nonprofit. Learn how to uncover those motivations and inspire more support in this guide. By Ryan Carpenter For the last several years, nonprofits have struggled to make ends meet due to falling revenue, rising inflation, and an increase in community needs. Charitable giving saw a 2.1% decrease in 2023 after inflation, showing how challenging it is for donors and nonprofits to keep up with inflation rates.

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Ethics Donation Demographics CRM 284

Clairification

JANUARY 4, 2024

Let’s begin with a question: What do you spend more time on? Asking or thanking? You’ve probably just completed a quarter hyper-focused on asking. I’ll bet you devoted a lot of time to this endeavor. Now… you should be devoting at least as much time to thanking the donors who responded to your appeals, with the goal of retaining and upgrading them over time.

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Ann Green's Nonprofit

MARCH 28, 2024

It’s spring here in the Northern Hemisphere, although in the Boston area it doesn’t feel like it right now. A lot of people use this time of the year to do some spring cleaning. I envy the people who do that because usually I’m not one of them. I know I should do more. As much as I dislike cleaning and organizing, I’m happy once it gets done. Often getting started is the hardest part.

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CRM Nonprofit Template Donation 289

Clairification

MARCH 18, 2024

That’s right. Loyalty. Not wealth. Not money. Not even attention. Because merely grabbing the attention of someone with either capacity or inclination to give is no guarantee philanthropy will follow. Today I’d like to illuminate: Truths about what drives philanthropy, Challenges nonprofits have developing and implementing strategies that take these truths into account, and Suggestions for moving forward with a new paradigm to generate increased philanthropy.

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Clairification

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Please don’t leave your new (or old for that matter) board members dangling! Being a board member is not something we’re generally taught. In fact, it can be a complete mystery. Folks feel proud to have been recruited to join your board, and excited to begin their service, but… what happens next can mean the difference between a fulfilling experience and a disappointing one.

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Clairification

JANUARY 29, 2024

M onterey Bay Aquarium shares the love with their donors. Last year, you posted about sending donors valentines, which I came across a bit too late in the game, so I sent emails. But, this year, I kept that idea and planned for it, and sent handmade valentines to my top level donors. I felt like I was in 2nd grade with my glue stick and doilies, but the response has been amazing!

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Lightning Fast Grant Writing

JANUARY 10, 2024

Parallel to the improvisation you do yourself as a grant writer, it is also important to know tools for helping your grant writing team improvise as well. Too often a lack of creative energy can be traced to the fact that various team members may be afraid of failing. With this motivation, they may be more creative in inventing reasons for giving up than coming up with solutions that will make it happen.

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Ann Green's Nonprofit

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

We all like to feel appreciated and that includes your donors. Thanking your donors should be a priority for your nonprofit organization. Is that the case? Unfortunately, the answer is usually no. Thanking your donors is not just something you do after you receive a donation and then do nothing for a while. You need to show gratitude all year round and with Valentine’s Day coming up, that’s a great opportunity to thank your donors and show them how much you appreciate their support.

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Budget Electronics Donation Media 289

Clairification

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

This week the groundhog told us it’s going to be an early spring! Spring is always a good time for re-awakening, rebirth and just plain dusting away the cobwebs. And what a dreary, grave, cobwebby period it’s been. We’ve got a lot to clean up, reorganize and rethink. So much, in fact, it’s downright overwhelming. So, as I sat down to write today’s article, I thought about what you actually have within your power to do.

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Clairification

JUNE 20, 2024

I’m going to guess “yes.” I’m sure some will hate me for saying this, but after 30+ years in the nonprofit trenches and another 10+ as a coach and consultant, I’m still amazed at how small many of us think. In 2008 during the big recession, and 2020 during the pandemic, all I heard was cut, cut, cut. No one wanted to talk about how to grow, grow, grow so that more (not less) needs could be met.

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