Clairification
FEBRUARY 27, 2025
No matter your politics, this is crisis time for many nonprofits who rely on federal grants and loans (about 30% of all charities ). It’s also crisis time for the beneficiaries of many nonprofits, who are scared, stressed, depressed and otherwise at loose ends due to the rapidly changing environment. Many of the resources on which folks once relied have disappeared or are at risk.
Ann Green's Nonprofit
JANUARY 13, 2025
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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Hands-On Fundraising
MARCH 18, 2025
Here are some basic rules that I use when I write to donors. After many years writing for donors, there are a few rules I always keep in mind. Because I know when I do, what I write raises more. So consider following these rules as well. I hope they help! Rule 1. Kind beats […] The post Follow these rules and raise more appeared first on Hands-On Fundraising.
The Fundraiser Coach
FEBRUARY 2, 2025
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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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.
Pamela Grow
MARCH 9, 2025
Hardly a week passes that I dont get an email like this one from Amanda: We are looking at expanding the number of direct mail campaigns we run. Ive attended your webinars and followed you for quite some time. Do you have a mailhouse that you recommend? Our campaigns are smaller, maybe 500 to 1,000 pieces mailed. We are looking for a mailhouse that will help segment and everything.
Grants & Fundraising Brief brings together the best content for grants & fundraising professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Millionaire Grant Lady
MARCH 3, 2025
As you are building your nonprofit, most nonprofits early on come to understand that they must increase their funding so they can serve more people, serve the community, and do all the things that they got into this industry to do. As you are building revenue sources, you need to focus on diversifying funding sources. There are three main types of grants.
RBW Strategy
FEBRUARY 27, 2025
Thinking through the post-award experience from a pre-award vantage Picture this – you work at a nonprofit and have a big, audacious project that you are looking to get off the ground. You are carefully researching different funding sources and feel strongly that federal grant funding will help provide the financial boost that you need to get things moving.
GrantNews
JANUARY 6, 2025
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.
Candid
MARCH 17, 2025
While theres little doubt that Americans today are divided, most of us support working with those who hold different beliefs. And thats something nonprofits are increasingly trying to facilitate. At the Council on Foundations, were collaborating with the New Pluralists and Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE) on a three-part report series exploring philanthropys investment in connecting and collaborating across differences.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
MARCH 20, 2025
An upswell of interfaith cooperation on issues such as immigration offers valuable lessons on what effective diversity work looks like. By Eboo Patel Courtesy of ISNA and Scott Spitzer for CCAR Basharat Saleem, left, executive director of the Islamic Society of North America, and Rabbi Hara Person, chief executive of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, were among the signees of a statement supporting immigrants and refugees.
Clairification
MARCH 17, 2025
Can the act of philanthropy make people feel better? I say Yes. Absolutely. Much has been written about the warm glow that comes from giving. So why not think about fundraisingas a caring act , and fundraisers (aka philanthropy facilitators )as trusted helpers and healers? Reframing fundraising in this way can be your key to: (1) committing to major individual donor fundraising (helping people to be the people they’d like to see in the mirror), and (2 ) engaging more staff, volunteers and
Ann Green's Nonprofit
MARCH 10, 2025
Your nonprofit needs a skilled, dedicated team to advance its mission. Use these onboarding best practices to set your new hires up for lasting success. By Debbie Willis Every new employee brings passion, talent, and a fresh perspective to your nonprofit. However, recruiting and retaining these essential team members is not always easy. In fact, 60% of nonprofit leaders report experiencing staff-related concernswhether thats a lack of staff capacity or losing staff because they cannot provide co
Hands-On Fundraising
MARCH 11, 2025
Does your fundraising writing produce less than satisfying results? I’ll be honest: Creating good donor communications is a constant learning experience. But you can do some things to help today. Here are some tips for you. Unmarry your brand. That is, unchain yourself from the collection of fonts, colors, and language being pushed at you […] The post Quick tips to improve your fundraising writing appeared first on Hands-On Fundraising.
The Fundraiser Coach
JANUARY 20, 2025
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.
Pamela Grow
FEBRUARY 5, 2025
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.
Joe Garecht Fundraising
JANUARY 19, 2025
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.
Millionaire Grant Lady
JANUARY 24, 2025
The writing part of grant writing is a relatively small percentage of the actual work required to win grants at a high level consistently. To someone who is new to writing and submitting grants, the entire grant process can feel convoluted, overwhelming, and tedious. Even if you know that the potential funding could be enormous for your organization, the process of dealing with so many details can be tedious, time-consuming, and disheartening.
Grant Professionals Association
MARCH 6, 2025
Early in my fundraising career, my then boss gave me a great piece of advice to celebrate wins. What she meant was to not only look at how much money you raised, but to evaluate the many other indicators of progress that can often be overlooked. In the grant world, its easy to just look at the bottom line, asking yourself How much money did we raise from grants this year?
GrantNews
MARCH 17, 2025
Grant funding fuels Minority Business Women On The Move ! Grants can help launch, sustain, and expand businesses while driving innovation, championing diversity, and strengthening economic growth! There are so many minority women business owners in the US who are reshaping industries with their fresh perspectives and creative solutions. However, breaking into the business world isn’t always easy.
Blackbaud
JANUARY 14, 2025
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
Get Fully Funded
FEBRUARY 27, 2025
Launching a new nonprofit is an exhilarating feeling. With 501(c)(3) status, you have the beginnings of the framework to improve your community, change lives, help others, and realize your bold vision. But big goals cost big money. And that means you have to figure out how to fundraise for your new venture. Figuring out how to fund your vision can feel like a steep mountain to climb.
Clairification
MARCH 10, 2025
Legacy gifts dont fall from the sky. Legacy donors arent delivered by storks. You wont find them hiding behind cabbage leaves. Youll mostly find them living in your donor database, volunteer roster, alumni mailing list, membership roll, client files, service purchasers, and anyplace else folks connect with you and have a positive affiliation. An affiliation with you.
Ann Green's Nonprofit
MARCH 17, 2025
Donor retention is a perennial problem for nonprofit organizations. Many organizations spend a lot of time and energy on acquiring donors, concentrating more on volume, and dont seem concerned that theyre churning through different donors year after year. Another perennial problem is uncertainty and disruption in our world. Right now were dealing with cuts in federal funding, tariffs, a plunging stock market, etc, which are creating constant chaos for us.
Hands-On Fundraising
FEBRUARY 4, 2025
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.
The Fundraiser Coach
MARCH 17, 2025
Every major gift fundraiser has imagined it: the moment you’re sitting across from a donor, and a carefully orchestrated conversation builds toward the Ask. I’ve been on the asking side countless times. But last year, I found myself on the receiving end. My fiancé has spent 50 years collecting rare first edition books on Pacific exploration — journals, maps, and atlases from explorers like Captain James Cook and Captain George Vancouver, Canadian overland explorer Alexan
Pamela Grow
FEBRUARY 27, 2025
Accountability is at the heart of nonprofit accounting. Because your organization cant turn a profit by definition, the goal of tracking your finances is to demonstrate to donors, funders, the government, and the community that youre using your funding responsibly to further your mission. Financial reporting is critical for accountability, and financial statements are among the most important reports your nonprofit will create each year.
Joe Garecht Fundraising
MARCH 15, 2025
I know many non-profit fundraisers who get depressed about their grant fundraising progress. They feel like they put in a lot of effort for very little return. But when I dig deeper, I realize they are focusing on the wrong things. These fundraisers dont understand that, when it comes down to it, grant fundraising is all a numbers game. Understanding the Grant Fundraising Process The grant fundraising process is simple to understand, but it does require work: First , you dig into the foundation
Millionaire Grant Lady
JANUARY 29, 2025
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.
Gail Perry Group
JANUARY 16, 2025
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.
GrantNews
MARCH 3, 2025
GrantWatch is the gateway for small business grants for entrepreneurs ! As spring blossoms, it’s easy to feel like slowing down and enjoying the season, but now is actually a great time to focus on your business. While the warmer days are tempting, the world of entrepreneurship still requires attention and action. Our economy is just beginning to recover after a challenging period, but obstacles like high inflation, rising interest rates, and systemic barriers continue to hold many busines
CauseVox
JANUARY 20, 2025
Its officially 2025! We made it through 2024, and with it the final push for year-end donations. Now is the time to make sure that your organization has donor retention strategies in place to bring those year-end supporters with you into 2025. You might be asking why you need to put a ton of time and energy into bringing your donors back for a second donation.
Blackbaud
JANUARY 31, 2025
There are thousands of organizations in the world doing amazing work in your impact area. As a funder, you probably wish you could fund them all. Unfortunately, limited resources mean you need to make decisions about the specific community you serve. To avoid wading through funding applications that dont meet your program criteriaand wasting the time of those nonprofits submitting those applicationsyou should include an eligibility quiz before the formal application.
Clairification
JANUARY 27, 2025
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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