2025

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Improve Your Donor Engagement by Creating a Communications Calendar

Ann Green's Nonprofit

I always like to emphasize the importance of keeping in touch with your donors throughout the year. I hope thats a priority for you, too. Your donors want to hear from you and dont just want to be blasted with fundraising appeals. The good news is that better donor communication (thank yous and updates) can help you raise more money. This is especially important if youve fallen behind in your revenue goals.

Calendar 297
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Think Like a Donor and Raise More Major Gifts

The Fundraiser Coach

One of the biggest challenges we face as major gift fundraisers is balancing two distinct ways of thinking: our internal, metrics-driven mindset versus the donor-focused approach that builds relationships. In the office, we're measured by revenue, the number of donors engaged, meetings booked, and Asks made (and successfully closed!). These are essential benchmarks, but when we sit down with donors, they’re not thinking in those terms.

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Major Donor Conversations: Promise Contrary to Pitch

Clairification

Today I want to talk about the heart of successful major gift fundraising. Its about reframing what you may think of as a pitch into what your donor would like to consider a promise. The pitch is one way. A monologue you deliver about everything you know about your organization. Usually it’s about how great it is, how pressing the need is, how you know the donor cares about your mission and, then, you drop a bomb into your donors lap with a big-ass ask they didn’t quite anticipate.

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6 Tips to Increase Lead Generation on Your Nonprofit Website

Pamela Grow

Does your nonprofit want to increase engagement with your marketing and fundraising efforts? If so, you need a lead generation strategy. You may have heard of lead generation in a business setting, but nonprofits can also effectively use this concept to drive engagement online and boost support for their missions. The top nonprofit websites capture audience interest at all stages of the donor funnel or journey.

Nonprofit 147
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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.

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The 3 Keys to Successful Major Donor Outreach

Joe Garecht Fundraising

Building a strong donor pipeline at your organization means engaging in constant donor outreach. This means reaching out through mail, email, and social media for your low-dollar donors. For larger donors, this means reaching out through phone calls, meetings, and text messages, in addition to mail and email. The rules of successful fundraising arent always intuitive.

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Transform your interview process into storytelling magic

Hands-On Fundraising

The best stories are personal If your organization wants to communicate well with donors in a way that moves them to feel connected to your mission youll need stories. Stories are how we relate… and have been forever. It’s a human thing. Consider Neanderthal cave art. Even before we were Homo sapiens, we […] The post Transform your interview process into storytelling magic appeared first on Hands-On Fundraising.

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How To Write An Amazing Nonprofit Newsletter + 8 Inspiring Examples

Wild Apricot

Nonprofit newsletters can be a great way to spread the word about your mission and build better relationships with your supporters. Here are tips and examples to help you write your very own nonprofit newsletter!

Nonprofit 146
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Grants that Empower Women and Girls!

GrantNews

We need to empower women and girls with the resources they need to thrive! Whether it’s mothers and daughters breaking barriers together, female athletes excelling in their sports, or women entrepreneurs building their dreams, grants are here to fuel their success. From education and training to job opportunities and overcoming financial obstacles, these essential funding sources provide the support that paves the way for growth.

Grants 116
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5 Trends That Will Shape Fundraising in 2025

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Fundraisers need to keep key issues on their radar: potential changes to tax law, artificial intelligence, DAFs, and more. By Rasheeda Childress Getty Images Fundraisers need to keep key issues on their radar: potential changes to tax law, artificial intelligence, DAFs, and more.

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Key Trends Shaping Major Gift Fundraising in 2025

Gail Perry Group

The landscape of philanthropy is shifting, bringing both challenges and opportunities for nonprofits in 2025. With economic changes, technological advancements, and evolving donor priorities, fundraisers need to adapt their strategies to thrive in this dynamic environment. Lets explore the most significant trends shaping major gift fundraising in 2025and how your organization can respond effectively. 1.

AI 107
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How to Make 2025 a Successful Year for Your Nonprofit

Ann Green's Nonprofit

Happy New Year!Its hard to believe its already 2025. I hope 2024 was a successful year for your nonprofit organization. If it wasnt, you can work to make 2025 a better year. And if you were successful, you want that to continue. Many individuals make New Years resolutions and set goals. Your nonprofit should do the same. As with personal resolutions, you want your goals to be realistic and attainable.

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"Thank U, Next" Fundraising

The Fundraiser Coach

In the world of major gift fundraising, relationships ought to be at the heart of the work we do. As I noted in " Affinity Eats Capacity for Breakfast ," chasing dollars without alignment to donor values can lead to missed opportunities and eroded trust. With the pressure of ever rising revenue goals, lack of full staffing, or a focus on "getting the gift," some fundraisers fall into the trap of treating donors like transactions.

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How to Fuel a Donor Journey that Yields Major Gifts

Clairification

The major gift journey is a synergistic one. You see, its both your journey and your donors journey. If you want to follow along the most direct pathway to sustainable philanthropy, youll want to consider the two-fold nature of the expeditious endeavor known as major gift fundraising. Or, as I prefer to call it, passionate philanthropy. First understand the pathway to passionate philanthropy is not just about the money; its every bit as much about the experience.

Goals 157
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Post-Event Follow-Up to Foster Long-Term Donor Relationships

Pamela Grow

Nonprofit events are a powerful way to showcase your mission and raise critical funds. From the excitement of bidding in an auction to the inspiring stories shared on stage, these events are unforgettable experiences for your attendees. However, many organizations make the mistake of letting all that energy fizzle out when the event ends. Without a thoughtful follow-up strategy, the momentum youve worked so hard to build fades, leaving attendees and supporters with awkward silence.

Metrics 147
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Getting Around the Gatekeeper: A Guide for Fundraisers

Joe Garecht Fundraising

When it comes to major donor fundraising, nothing is more important than talking directly with your donors and prospects. To successfully solicit major gifts, you must cultivate your donors and build relationships with them , which requires one-on-one conversations. Generally speaking, major donors tend to be busy people. They are usually engaged in business or philanthropy at a high level, meaning there are many demands on their time and many people trying to get in touch with them.

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Boost Your Fundraising Team’s Success with a Grant Consultant: Here’s How

Millionaire Grant Lady

How a Grant Consultant Can Amplify the Impact of Your Fundraising Team Many different staff positions fulfill fundraising duties. Depending on the size of the nonprofit organization, just one person may handle all fundraising tasks, while in other organizations the fundraising team may be comprised of a dozen individuals each with a unique focus. In a large fundraising team, leadership and strategy may be assigned to the Director of Development or a Major Gifts Officer, while donor relationships

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If you want to raise more money, tell me a story

Hands-On Fundraising

Storytelling rightfully gets lots of attention After all, human beings communicate through stories and always have. You probably know someone who is a terrific storyteller. Ive got a friend with a real gift for it. It doesnt matter whether shes telling me about a life-or-death situation or a trip to the grocery store. Either […] The post If you want to raise more money, tell me a story appeared first on Hands-On Fundraising.

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Understanding Nonprofit Audits: A Beginner’s Guide

Wild Apricot

Nonprofit audits help assess and strengthen everyday operations, financial practices and stakeholder trust. Learn what to expect from the auditing process.

Nonprofit 133
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Women Entrepreneurs and the Power of Business Grants

GrantNews

The power of business grants presents real opportunities for women entrepreneurs. With over 13 million female-led businesses in the U.S., accounting for about 42% of all businesses nationwide, that’s no small feat! For women entrepreneurs, securing start-up capital can be a real challenge. Many turn to grant funding to launch and expand their business ventures.

Grants 111
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The Donor Revolt May Be Behind Us, but Fundraisers Can Expect Tensions, Dust-Ups

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

By Rasheeda Childress Illustration by Alan Nguyen for the Chronicle Conflicts between donors and nonprofits become more noticeable in increasingly polarized times.

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7 Signs Your Organization Is Ready for an Enterprise-Scale CRM

Blackbaud

As a tech leader at a growing social impact organization, you know that migrating to an enterprise-scale constituent relationship management (CRM) system can be a daunting proposition. While you may be aware on a general level that your CRM platform is becoming a headwind to your organization achieving its fundraising goals, the prospect of migrating vast amounts of data, retraining staff, and committing the money and resources required for a successful upgrade can make it tempting to say, Lets

CRM 103
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How Are You Building Relationships With Your Donors?

Ann Green's Nonprofit

Why does making a donation often feel like a transaction? Organizations get so caught up in the raising money part that they forget about building relationships with their donors. Giving Tuesday is the worst example of this, with Year End close behind. Generally, it happens way too often. Remember this Building relationships is just as important as raising money.

Donation 172
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Affinity Eats Capacity for Breakfast: The Fundraiser’s Guide to Transformational Giving

The Fundraiser Coach

When it comes to major gift fundraising, one mantra reigns supreme: Affinity eats capacity for breakfast. While financial capacity is undoubtedly an important factor, it’s the emotional connection—the belief in your mission and the relationship built over time—that drives transformational giving. Without affinity, capacity alone cannot translate into meaningful support.

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How to Build a Major Donor Program from the Ground Up

Clairification

Learn to become an “inside” major donor rainmaker If youve got donors, you’ve got the raw material for a major donor program and its easier than you think. Begin with your own database. Most organizations have plenty of donor prospects, without having to go outside and look for prospects who arent connected to you. You know who I mean.

IT 167
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Fasten Your Seat Belts! 2025 Will Be a Bumpy Ride…Here’s Help!

Pamela Grow

I woke up this morning thinking about the movie, The Matrix. If you’re not familiar, the Matrixis a 1999science fictionaction film starring Keanu Reeves as Neo, a computer hacker. Theres a scene where Neo discovers that most of the population is asleep in pods where they are being used like a battery by the sentient AI that put them there. A chilling notion.

AI 147
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“Have you called each donor seven times?”

Joe Garecht Fundraising

Early in my fundraising career, I was tasked with calling through a list of major donor prospects. These were cold prospects people who had given to other organizations in our mission field but never to our organization. The goal for the calls was to set up meetings for our Vice President of Development. We had mailed out information packets to each prospect, and now my job was to call through about 100 donors to see if they would be willing to meet.

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Why Google Isn’t Enough: Finding Hidden Grant Opportunities for Nonprofits

Millionaire Grant Lady

When you want to learn about something new, the natural first instinct is to Google it. Its such an integral part of our lives now that we turned the name of a search engine into a verb. Web searches are powerful tools, and we should never take for granted the privilege of living in a time in which the breadth of human history and knowledge is freely available through our computer, tablet, or phones.

Grants 130
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Integrating Peer-to-Peer Fundraising with Annual Campaigns

Hands-On Fundraising

If youre looking for a compelling fundraising campaign idea to supplement your nonprofits annual fundraising efforts, look no further than peer-to-peer fundraising. What makes peer-to-peer fundraising such a great strategy to support annual fundraising campaigns? This fundraising style allows your nonprofit to: Lets explore five strategies your nonprofit can use to integrate peer-to-peer fundraising into […] The post Integrating Peer-to-Peer Fundraising with Annual Campaigns appeared first

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The Top 10 Association Websites in 2025

Wild Apricot

Want to create a website for your association? We've rounded up the top 10 best association websites of 2025 and will show you how to create your own.

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Municipal Grants and the Unsung Heroes of Public Service

GrantNews

The unsung heroes of public service are the folks who work behind the scenes, often going far beyond their job descriptions to strengthen and improve the programs and services our communities rely on. These dedicated public servants include educators, healthcare workers, first responders, nonprofit leaders, and more. They make personal sacrifices to ensure essential services remain available when people need them most.

Grants 107
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How to Write a Killer Letter of Inquiry (LOI) to Get a Grant

Get Fully Funded

Often, the first step in getting a grant is a Letter of Inquiry (sometimes called a Letter of Intent ) – or LOI, for short. A Letter of Inquiry is a quick way to introduce your organization to a prospective funder and to open up a conversation about how a grant would make a positive impact on the community you’re serving and change lives.

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How to Use A.I. Effectively and Protect Your Organization's Reputation and Values

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Experts say it's critical for nonprofits to craft guidelines on acceptable A.I. use and they offer advice on how to do it. By Rasheeda Childress Getty Images Experts say it's critical for nonprofits to craft guidelines on A.I. use and they offer advice on how to do it.

IT 123
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Go All In on Monthly Giving

Ann Green's Nonprofit

Monthly giving is one of the few types of fundraising that does well. If your organization doesnt have a monthly/recurring giving program or its fairly small, why is that? Whether youre a big or a smaller organization or your fundraising went well last year or it didnt, monthly giving makes so much sense (or cents). In this post, Ill tell you why monthly giving is important for your nonprofit, how to start or grow your program, and how to nurture it going forward.

Donation 172