Dealing With Anxiety
During the 24 years I have been in fundraising, I have observed that the greatest factor causing people to leave fundraising, or to “burn out,” is not the work itself, […]
Exploring Alternative Sources of Fundraising
A low-income housing organization borrows $2 million at 1 percent interest and is able to buy a large number of homes that it then rents or sells to low-income families […]
Letter-Writing Tips When Dealing With Funders
Imagine you are a program officer of a medium-sized family foundation. It’s late in the day, and it will be another hour before you go home. You have a lot […]
The Effects of Elections on Fundraising
While many people debate the effect of fundraising on an election – who gives the money, how much money any person or corporation should be able to give, what kind […]
Power of (Ex)change
An organization dedicated to “youth empowerment” sends a proposal to a sympathetic funder. The proposal contains this sentence: “We seek nothing short of revolutionary social change.” They then describe their […]
How to Cope with Funding Cutbacks
I’ve been in fundraising since 1976, and I remember the panicked calls I received after Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980: “We’re losing our government funding; what shall we do?” […]
Using Special Events for Fundraising
Special events or fundraising benefits expand the reputation of an organization, provide participants an interesting time, and sometimes make money. Because of their variety and flexibility, special events are excellent […]
Fundraising: Multiple Mail Appeals
Grassroots groups, while constantly trying to find better ways to recruit new donors, often act as though their current donors were fragile china only to be brought out on special […]
The Three Types of Donations, and How to Use Them
Many grassroots organizations want to buy their own building, open an endowment or raise more program money from major donors. Projects like these represent three different kinds of organizational needs, […]
Making Use of December
There is a popular myth in fundraising circles that December is the best month to raise money. Like most myths, this one has some elements of truth. December is a […]
The Importance of Being Gracious
Maybe it’s the aftermath of the presidential election. Maybe it’s the disappearance of the dot.coms as the hot new source of funds. For some reason, my friends and I have […]
Raising Money from Religious Institutions
Although religious institutions use most of the money they raise to pay for their own programs, organized religion is also a major source of funds for secular nonprofits.