Is Celebrating a Lean Overhead Hurting Your Fundraising?
In the world of nonprofit fundraising, the scarcity model has been hailed as the ultimate benchmark of success. Advocates argue that every dollar raised should be allocated solely to program expenses. However, I beg to differ. Focusing solely on achieving this as a “gold standard” distracts us from what truly matters: efficiency, impact, sustainability, and…
Discover the Latest U.S. Giving Trends. Giving USA 2023 Report Out Now!
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” – Coretta Scott King June 20th marked the much-anticipated release of the Giving USA 2023: Perspectives on Philanthropy Report, the most common and longest-giving report on philanthropy, and we’re here for it! The report was presented by CCS Fundraising…
Perspectives on Philanthropy: What to Consider from Giving USA’s 2022 Report
The newest version of Giving USA’s annual report on philanthropy was released in late June 2022. For more than forty years, Giving USA has been providing fundraisers, nonprofit leaders, donors, and other individuals with comprehensive charitable giving data that helps inform decisions, strategies, and fund allocations. Coming off of a turbulent 2020, Americans remained generous,…
The Secret to Making the Ask and Closing Big
Fundraising is a dance that requires solid preparation, good timing, and attention to detail. When working with new volunteers, solicitation training always brings up a great deal of anxiety. It can be daunting to initiate a conversation about money! Knowing what to say and how to say it is not easy, but by studying the…
Your Year-End Giving Plan
With mere days left in 2021, we have entered the height of giving season. Did you know that nearly 31% of annual giving occurs in December? In fact, 12% of annual giving happens in the last three days of the year. More donations are processed on December 30th and 31st than any other days. Over…
Building Donor Relationships Through High Value Questions
As fundraisers, we must always keep relationships front-of-mind. Get to know your prospective donor (or longtime supporter) with High Value Questions (HVQs). General questions can overburden your prospects with irrelevant information and fizzle out their excitement before you establish a connection. No one wants boring interview chats! HVQs enable and encourage more authentic and dynamic…
The Scale of Grassroots Fundraising: How to make the most of your efforts
Just like most aspects of fund development, successful grassroots fundraising requires a combination of creativity, strategy, and clear goals. It can be tempting to brush off grassroots fundraising as low-scale and low-priority. However, when an organization harnesses scalability, sustainability, and intentionality, grassroots fundraising becomes the basis of fertile ground for a rich harvest and long…
I’m online all the time! Zoom Fatigue, Email Boundaries, Time Management, Energizers, Burnout, and Self Care — how can we control the chaos?
We’ve talked a lot about workplace reintegration and navigating these crazy times as an organization. But what about work-from-home-fatigue? How are we managing our individual stress in a world where work and life have never been more closely intertwined? We all feel it. You’re not alone. Our weekly Wednesday 9am MT/11am ET Clubhouse chats are…
Workplace Reintegration – What is the Next Normal?
After a year-and-a-half of adjusting to life with COVID-19, it’s safe to say things have permanently changed. What does reintegration look like as we return to the workplace? Is there such thing as “best practices” or should we simply focus on “winning strategies”? Our weekly Wednesday 9am MT/11am ET Clubhouse chats are full of robust…
Power Plays – Fundraising, Grantmaking, DEI, and More
Consider this: Have grantmakers become too rigorous in their expectations of impact and evaluation that they’re starting to miss the point entirely? What would it be like if we created a trust-based giving rather than obsessing over ROI? Below are some key takeaways from today’s clubhouse chat about power plays in relation to nonprofits —…
Perspectives on Philanthropy: Giving USA 2021
To say that 2020 was a game changer would be putting it lightly. I know many of us in the nonprofit world were anxiously awaiting Giving USA’s annual report on philanthropy; after a year of unforeseen circumstances, nonprofit leaders around the country had to rely on their own creativity to steer the ship through the…