In order to establish a development program that enables you to exceed your annual fundraising goals and establish a culture of giving in your organization, you need to have a strategy. There are three aspects to this work: an honest, accurate situation analysis that details what is currently … [Read more...]
Challenge: Annual Fund Participation
June 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Every nonprofit organization would like to increase their annual fund. But when thoughts turn toward an enhanced revenue achievement, the focus immediately shifts to major donors. A strong, but often ignored, path is to increase participation. This is your Mersky, Jaffe & Associates … [Read more...]
What Does An Annual Fund Do – Besides Raise Money?
May 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Lots. Annual Funds have many purposes besides raising money. It is often easy to get caught up in meeting your target numbers, but if you look beyond the dollar sign, you can often increase your bottom line. Contradictory? Not at all. It is the difference between development and … [Read more...]
Simple Steps That Can Improve Your Annual Fund
May 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Let me guess, your budget requires you to increase the amount you raise through your annual fund. Since this will probably be a yearly trend, consider adding in a few simple steps each year – for a dramatic cumulative effect. Here is a list of things you can do to improve your outcome. Pick from … [Read more...]
Motivating Yourself To Make A Change
February 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The person who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore. -Dale Carnegie “If you’re not asking them for money, someone else is.” - Abigail Harmon Recently, I have spoken to a few friends/colleagues who are … [Read more...]
Increasing the Annual Fund
December 9, 2008 By
When you create your annual budget, there may be a shortfall between what you need to exist and what you currently earn. Organizations handle this differently than you and me. For example, I was recently talking to a client who said the Executive Director, when creating the budget, simply … [Read more...]
A Perfect Example
December 9, 2008 By
For anyone in the Boston area who is even mildly interested in philanthropy, you know that the Museum of Fine Arts’ recently concluded capital campaign exceeded any fundraising efforts by a cultural institution by three times the highest previous amount. It was a huge victory for the community in … [Read more...]
Q. What’s so special about the University model of fundraising and fundraising via Friends’ associations?
September 1, 2007 By
A. University-based fundraising requires the same planning and diligence as other nonprofits. However, the university model has some amazing advantages. With a continually growing alumni base (read: funding source) who enjoy a shared experience the memory of which becomes better with each passing … [Read more...]
The Appeal vs. The Annual fund
September 1, 2006 By
Do you consider your annual appeal your annual fund? Before we get into the substance of the article, you should note that while the example given is for a synagogue, the same case could be made for the fundraising plans at any kind of membership-based organization that have ad-hoc appeals … [Read more...]
Q. My mid-sized nonprofit uses Excel to track donors. Is there a better way that doesn’t cost a lot?
July 1, 2005 By
A. There are many options that will cost you any where from nothing to thousands of dollars and all of them are better than using Excel, or any other kind of spreadsheet or database that is not designed expressly for the purpose of fundraising management. While we can counsel you on the differences … [Read more...]