Cultivation & Communication

Somewhere on your desk, or buried in your CRM, there's a list of people you know you should call. Major donor prospects. The program officer at that foundation that never responded to your LOI. The longtime donor who just made her tenth … [Read more...] about You Gotta Make the Call

A few months ago I sat with a development director who had done everything right. Her year-end appeal was well written. The segmentation was smart. The ask amounts were tested against last year's giving. It raised less than the year … [Read more...] about Every Nonprofit is Now a Media Company

I’ve noticed a trend in fundraising communications recently. They seem to be more formulaic than ever before. Many of the fundraising letters and newsletters I receive are interchangeable… just take the few sentences about Organization X’s … [Read more...] about Successful Fundraising is Emotional 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 … [Read more...] about The 3 Keys to Successful Major Donor Outreach

Nearly every non-profit uses fundraising letters to raise money.  They do that for one simple reason: fundraising letters work.  Whether you’re using a snail mail letter sent with a stamp or an e-mail sent with a “donate now!” link, chances are … [Read more...] about The 8 Things You Need to Know to Write Better Fundraising Letters

Most companies and nonprofits have mission statements.  And most of them are boring and ineffectual.  Your organization does great work, and it deserves a nonprofit mission statement that inspires, motivates, and empowers your supporters and … [Read more...] about How to Write a Nonprofit Mission Statement that Actually Works