Philanthropy should not just be about big checks. We live in times of scarcity. How are you mobilizing your community in fresh and different ways? How are you building long-term capacity to sustain your organization? How are you creating stronger, deeper relationships with constituents? 1. Identify where your communities hang out.How? Lo for what groups…
DetailsDespite rumors to the contrary, e is still going strong and shows no signs of weakening. Recent data from the Pew Research Center shows it’s the bedrock of on engagement by those 65+, and many of these folks are your major donors. And there are plenty of younger folks who engage via e as well.…
DetailsGOOD: I recently read an article about ‘accidental marketing’ describing serendipitous moments when we ‘sell’ our product/service without having really planned it. In this case, it was a nonprofit staff member (let’s call him Joe), who went out to pick up some donated furniture. Joe accidentally knocked on the wrong door. In explaining to the…
DetailsI just returned from a two-week vacation in which I unplugged. Guess what? This crazy planet filled with crazy people kept somersaulting all around the sky. It didn’t stop. There’s no way to stop it. And guess what else? I relaxed. I even got a little bit bored. And that was a good thing.…
DetailsHere comes this month’s *SMIT (Single Most Important Thing I have to tell you). Don’t make the mistake of not trying to raise funds on because you keep hearing that the only money being raised there is for disaster relief. First, it’s not true. Second, the exception proves the rule. You may be the exception.…
DetailsI just received this e from meetup.com: “Ten years ago this month, Meetup was born. People thought we were crazy, but 76 million RSVPs later, it turns out we’re all a little crazy.” I’d say we’re not crazy. We just long for community. We want to belong to a tribe . It’s a universal human…
DetailsIn Part 1 we talked about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of going undercover to stand in our customers’ shoes. In Part 2 we lo at the ‘what’ — the ways we can WOW our prospects by getting creative and discovering ways to set us apart from the competition in our constituents’ minds. As long as…
DetailsWhy is “Undercover Boss” so popular? Could it be because most of us feel like no one is listening to us? No one understands our pains and sorrows? It’s cathartic to see a boss, for a change, put himself in the shoes of his workers and consumers. It’s usually a kick-in-the pants, eye-opening experience. If…
DetailsFor years nonprofits have worked from the “inside out” in terms of prioritizing constituencies to target. It was accepted wisdom that effective fundraising was an “inside out” proposition and that we should work our networks beginning with those with the greatest reasons to give (e.g., board members, clients, family and friends). As resources allowed, we’d then…
DetailsTo raise funds you must first raise friends.The initial step is making folks aware of who you are and what you do. In our daily lives (and in the daily lives of our volunteers) many opportunities arise where we can begin the friend raising process. We have to be prepared to take advantage of these…
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