4 Easy Solicitation Training Exercises for Campaign Volunteers
A big part of any campaign’s overall success is whether — and how — you engage volunteers in soliciting gifts. In other words, if you can get a handful of volunteers to solicit even a small number of gifts, you will have a big accomplishment on your hands. Volunteers...
Converse with Your Donors through the Amazing Power of Improvisation
Have you ever taken an improv class? I know it’s an unlikely suggestion, but if you’re in the donor relations part of fundraising, you’d learn a ton of transferable skills. Because the best conversation is always improvised. Have you ever had a really good, deep,...
The Winning Formula for Capital Campaign Success: Optimism + Analysis
Is there a formula for capital campaign success? Absolutely! Whether your campaign will be successful (or not) depends on your ability to have the courage to set big goals and then temper that unbridled optimism based on clear headed analysis. In fact, capital...
4 Tips to Raise Major Gifts for a Campaign without Embarrassing Yourself
Let’s face it, a capital campaign hinges on successfully raising the biggest gifts your organization has ever raised. The idea of raising such gigantic gifts is probably terrifying. Initially, you’ll need to raise leadership level gifts. These are probably the top ten...
5 Donor Love Languages: How Fundraisers Say ‘Thank You’ Matters
Over the past week, there were a number of articles, stories, and posts about love (due to Valentine’s Day). One that caught my eye was about Gary Chapman’s famous book on 5 Love Languages. It got me thinking about how fundraisers show appreciation (and generally...
