Category Archives: For Your Consideration

Crisis fundraising – are you ready to be a first responder?

Is your nonprofit equipped to respond to a financial crisis? A crisis can take many forms and fall along a continuum of urgency. How urgent the crisis is depends upon your organization’s underlying health, the ecosystem you are operating in, and the actual crisis itself. A fundraising crisis can arise due to an unanticipated loss of revenue, storm damage, a lawsuit, vandalism, or loss of a key employee. The crisis could be unexpected. It could also have been looming on the horizon held off with prayer, loans, and committed donors. What becomes a crisis could also be the result of an inability to build diversified revenue streams. In many cases a crisis is the result of unanticipated circumstances Think back on 2008 and the following years: so many nonprofits were […]

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Shalom to our brothers and sisters

We write today to share our grief and sorrow with the Jewish community of Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh, PA, with local Jewish communities across the country, and with the international Jewish community. We reach out to our Jewish – and non-Jewish – readers and take a public stand against anti-Semitism. What happened this past Saturday (October 27th) is horrific. To our Jewish friends, neighbors, community and national leaders we say Shalom. Peace. The hatred expressed by the killer at Tree of Life Synagogue was extreme. It is a hatred that many want to believe is a part of history, no longer with us. Yet anti-Semitism is alive and well: think about how often those of us who are not Jewish express or don’t challenge negative stereotypes of Jews, or choose […]

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Creating black led inner-city land conservancies

Creating black led inner-city land conservancies

African American led inner-city land conservancies can be organized and operated in ways similar to conservancy efforts that are established to protect wildlife, rivers, mountain ranges, farmland, marshlands, animals, and vegetation. There are individuals, families, churches, and stakeholders in our communities who could support a conservancy with cash donations and gifts of property for future use (whether to be sold or restored) in order to protect a given neighborhood.

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Mel and Pearl Shaw

Six Ways to Increase Diversity and Equity in Fundraising

Diversity and equity can  become buzzwords unless we put these into action in a meaningful way. Here are six specific actions that you and the leadership of your organization can take as we move forward.

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Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access

Diversity, equity are our infrastructure and capacity

Today’s talented fundraisers value diversity and inclusion and use these to build and sustain fundraising teams for today and the future. As you build your team, look for new talents. Look for people who can understand the different communities within our community, and how they can contribute to your organization.

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Building consensus and reaching agreement

Nonprofit mission creep: good or bad?

This is the first in a series focused on the prerequisites for fundraising success. Happy New Year! We hope you are energized and ready to embrace a new year and new fundraising success. We start 2016 by sharing a few nonprofit fundamentals: your fundraising should focus on securing funds and resources to implement your strategic plan. Your strategic plan is a road map for the activities which bring your mission to life. Your mission is the way your organization expresses its vision. This means your mission is at the very core of your fundraising. Your mission may be unwavering, or it may change over time. Sometimes that’s “good” and sometimes it’s “bad.” Most of the time it lies somewhere in-between. Let’s say your nonprofit’s vision is “a world without violence” […]

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Creative Christmas gifts for your favorite nonprofit

Creative Christmas gifts for your favorite nonprofit

Its Christmas time! And soon to be Kwanza. Then New Years! It’s time to celebrate and share gifts. We give to our families and friends. Many of us have already made a gift to nonprofits we hold closest to our hearts. But, there’s always time for more giving. Here’s a holiday gift idea that can extend into the new year: Give a non-financial gift. Here’s what we mean. First, let us be clear: nonprofits cannot operate without money. That is a fact. But, we also know there are many other things nonprofits need, and you just might be the right person to fill that need. Think about it this way: nonprofits are busy delivering on their mission and vision. Each also has to raise money, market their organization, and take […]

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Annual giving — five ways to say thank you

Many nonprofits will see an increase in gifts from individuals over the next few weeks. Some will be from faithful annual donors. Others may respond for the first time to your year-end appeal. Still others will feel an emotional tug on their heart strings and impulsively give online. As you prepare to say thank you we offer five things to consider. If your donor took the time to give, you can take the time to say thank you. There’s always a lot to do, but “thank you” must take precedence. If you plan well, it shouldn’t take much time. And, it can be joyous – you’ve received a gift. If a donor gives online, send your thank you electronically. If your donor sends a gift, send your thank you by […]

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#GivingTuesday

Have you heard of Giving Tuesday? Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks for the blessings in our lives. Black Friday and Cyber Monday kick off the holiday shopping season. Then there’s Giving Tuesday which, as you may guess, is all about giving – this time to nonprofits. Founded in 2012, Giving Tuesday will be celebrated this year on December 1st. What began as a partnership between New York City’s 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation has grown into a day of giving that engages over 30,000 organizations worldwide. It’s a big deal. If you visit GivingTuesday.org you will find toolkits, case studies, and ideas. The website has suggestions for donors as well as nonprofits. The section on “ideas” is rich in suggestions for how families, businesses and schools […]

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Many small donors or a few large donors?

As the year comes to a close many nonprofits are looking at their fundraising goals and asking an important question: should we focus on securing a large number of small gifts, or a few large ones? We believe the answer is “both.” Here are three things to consider. Securing many small gifts often takes as much energy as securing a few large gifts. Much of the work is similar: define your case; agree on an ask amount or range; define your pool of prospective donors; determine the right method or approach. Most importantly “make the ask” and say thank you quickly when gifts are received. The difference between the two strategies often depends on a nonprofit’s fundraising history. Some have a history of securing large gifts. Others have built a […]

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