By David A. Mersky You just finished your year-end rush and have begun planning for next year. But before you turn the calendar page to February, one important question remains: Who were the people, no matter how many times you asked, who gave in… [Read more…]
By David A. Mersky A beloved member of the community died after a long illness. Her husband and her friends wanted to honor her memory with a fund that would sponsor professional development programs. They turned to the organization on whose board the… [Read more…]
It’s a few weeks into the new year and, hopefully, you have set your new fundraising goals for the year. And, if you intend to achieve those goals, we also hope that you have a fundraising plan with a stewardship calendar) in place.… [Read more…]
We were, initially, hesitant to produce anything on planned gift options under the current President and his administration. Simply put, it seems that anything, including tax codes, can change on a daily basis. Please ask your donors to check with a financial advisor… [Read more…]
Planned Giving Explained We receive a lot of questions about planned giving. It is an element of fundraising that everyone knows they should be incorporating, but many organizations don’t know where to start. We would like to help. We are going to do… [Read more…]
by David A. Mersky I recently participated in the solicitation of a rather peripherally involved 82-year-old donor of one of our clients. We were going to ask for $100,000, when, before we could even begin, the donor said that he had already provided… [Read more…]
Successful capital campaigns not only raise money…but also help with planned giving The chair of the Board of a client organization recently paid me the supreme compliment. “Mersky simply will not take no for an answer when it comes to engaging and soliciting… [Read more…]
You may have noticed that I don’t write about planned giving very often. In part, that is because it is not our main business – we help clients create planned giving opportunities and aide in planned giving “asks,” but we have rarely, if… [Read more…]
Can you form a sentence—better still a question—with the five words that really excite donors? What are the words? How about: Increase Improve Reduce Save Gain Try this the next time you hear a prospective donor say, “I would love to make an… [Read more…]
Last month we recommended doing a favor for your donors and members who live on fixed incomes. Imagine now how you can assist parents and/or grandparents who are concerned about tuition payments for the next generation. Today you can offer a planned giving… [Read more…]