Today’s donors are sophisticated. Gone are the days when… … a cute picture of a child or dog was enough to raise millions … because a donor gave an amount last year, they would automatically give at least the same amount this year … [Read more…]
Time after time, I hear clients say they asked a prospect for a major gift. When I ask for details, I hear they: Think you have asked for a major gift donation in one of these ways? Think again. The only way to actually ask someone… [Read more…]
By Abigail Harmon ChatGPT writes commercials for Ryan Reynolds, papers for college students, essays written by AI detectors for professors, and can even pass MBA and med school tests. Image AI is under scrutiny for being able to gather so many images that it infringes upon copyright laws. Meta and Google know… [Read more…]
By David A. Mersky The year is nearly over. At this point, you have done absolutely everything you can for your direct response and mid-range donors. So, what do most organizations do? They send everybody home between Christmas and New Year’s. Yes, you may… [Read more…]
The best stories don’t teach people anything new. Instead, the best stories agree with what the audience already believes and makes the members of the audience feel smart and secure when reminded how right they were in the first place. – Seth Godin… [Read more…]
In every nonprofit that we council for fundraising and development, we provide tips, techniques, and training on how to ask for money. Whether we are talking to staff, board or committee members, we know there is a lot of fear around the ask. … [Read more…]
Do you have a culture of giving? Or should I ask, do you have a culture of asking? While nonprofits want givers, few people want to be askers. And that is often the sticking point. Common excuses include: “We don’t have those kind… [Read more…]
Last week, I wrote asked, and answered, What Makes a Successful Fundraising Campaign? In the list of essential tasks for volunteers and staff, I included, “follow up after each appointment.” I didn’t want this to get lost because follow up from volunteers will,… [Read more…]
Last week I went to a conference where I saw phenomenal speakers. The list included Michelle Obama, Billie Jean King, Selina Tobaccowala, Brit Marling, Issa Rae, Mario Batali and Andy Cohen. The topics ranged from the experience of being the former FLOTUS (or… [Read more…]
While at the gym the other day I overheard a woman ask a teenager on the treadmill next to her if she had an extra hairband, mentioning that she had left hers at home. They didn’t know each other but the teenager had… [Read more…]