Building a Culture of Philanthropy: Demonstrating Why Donors Give
It’s not pickpocketing or twisting arms—it’s creating a greater experience than the donor could ever imagine. A few weeks ago I wrote on five steps to jump on the path to breaking down silos and creating bridges for your colleagues to build a culture of philanthropy, and embrace fundraising practices. Here are the five as a […]
Your Donors Feel’n like Transactions? 8 Signs and Solutions
I want to give with my head and my heart so I want to know how a nonprofit will use the funds, how well managed the nonprofit is, and who it’s helping — the impact of my gift. There’s nothing wrong with a transaction. When I buy gas, I don’t need to develop a deep […]
Building a Culture of Philanthropy: 5 Ways to Build Your Fundraising Village
“When a majority of people from an organization are involved in the fundraising process… something special starts to occur.” Bringing everyone together and creating a fundraising village will take work, but the increased funding, as well as the time and funds saved by more collaboration, will be worth the effort. Recently I wrote about five crucial […]
5 Ways to Know If You Have a Legacy Fundraising Operation
The donors of today are searching for meaningful stories and engagement, want to be listened to, and need to understand how they can make an impact. In the movie, No Country for Old Men, Tommy Lee Jones Character, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, laments to Ellis that he is feeling outmatched. Barry Corbin’s character, Ellis then retorts, “What […]
Culture of Philanthropy: 6 Steps to Demonstrate the Impact of Philanthropy
When an organization accepts, understands, and embraces a culture of philanthropy…the whole institution benefits from increased donor investment. A few weeks ago, I wrote about challenges facing development departments when an organization does not embrace their work or overall fundraising. This is when a majority people in the organization are not in involved in any […]
Does your organization think fundraising is something that happens over there…?
When the organization accepts, understands, and embraces the work of the development department, the ability to engage more donors in better ways increases substantially—and the whole institution benefits. So, tell me, what is that you do in your department? That phrase, spoken with a bit (or a lot) of disdain, is often directed to development […]
Attracting and Stewarding Donor-Advised Fund Holders
Donor-advised funds are top of mind for all of us working in fundraising, and those who choose to invest via a DAF should receive ample, individualized attention from organizations to cultivate their involvement over time. With DAFs on a consistent rise across the philanthropic landscape (according to the 2023 DAF Report from the National Philanthropic Trust, grantmaking from DAFs has more than doubled in the last five years – check out our previous post on Five Major Shifts in Fundraising Over the Last Five Years to learn what other areas you should spotlight) and many donors and organizations struggling to navigate this shift, attracting stewarding DAF holders in ways that address their specific needs and concerns should be a top goal in your stewardship plan.