Recruiting campaign leaders

There are many motivations for giving, yet at the core of a successful charitable relationship is the fact that a nonprofit has told its story passionately and has inspired a donor.

Asking difficult questions about the source of a major gift can be uncomfortable, but it is crucial to conduct due diligence of the donor, the source of funds and the effect a gift could have on the overall mission of the charity.

With four in 10 online donors giving to charity in December, now is the time to get your nonprofit’s website and email appeals in shape for the year-end rush.

By analyzing donor characteristics and gift patterns and scoring prospect data, you can create prospect segments that will be a dynamic, useful and highly effective tool for marketing planned gifts.

Writing applications for grants has become a strategic task that requires understanding funders and making a clear and compelling case, supported by evidence, that the program or project the grant will fund will be effective in addressing a particular problem or need.

Nonprofit professionals shy away from the notion of ‘selling’ the merits of their organizations. But done correctly, matching a donor or volunteer’s goals with opportunities at a nonprofit can be a win-win.

What the fundraiser wants is cash, but what the donor wants is control of their asset. So a key element to campaign fundraising – or any type of fundraising – is planned giving.

It’s likely Congress won’t get around to extending the tax break that allows some older Americans to donate to charity tax-free from their IRAs, so now is the time to help your favorite nonprofit while saving some money.

Fundraisers must always be looking for new ways to think about ethics, how it applies to their organizations and how they can serve donors and philanthropy more ethically.

These days, when nonprofits are competing for limited dollars from a finite number of very busy donors, it’s important to make an emotional connection with supporters.