It's almost time. The time of year when your donors' mailboxes are filled with year-end fundraising appeals. If you haven't gotten your year-end appeal out the door yet, be sure to take a few minutes right now and read this post. Instead of things to do, you'll find three things you don't want to do. (This post was inspired by Steven Screen and The Better Fundraising Co.) (read more)

Here's a little fundraising inspiration from the football field. Bear Bryant, legendary coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, once said, "Little things make the difference. Everyone is well prepared in the big things, but only the winners perfect the little things." That's true for your fundraising appeal, too. Yes, there are best practices in letter writing - those are the big things. This post shares 5 simple "little things" you can do to make your next fundraising letter stand out. (read more)

There's a saying in fundraising: You'll raise more money when the right person asks the right prospect for the right amount at the right time. While that's true for major donors and capital campaigns, it's also true for your general donors and your annual fund as well. This post explains 4 "right" ways to make sure you're writing a terrific fundraising letter, every day. You'll learn how to write a better fundraising letter for your year-end campaign - and any campaign, any time of year. (read more)

There's a saying, "If you've met one foundation, you've met one foundation." It's true. Funders have different priorities. They're different sizes. They all have different trustees and different sized staffs. They also have different ways of making decisions. Yet one thing that all funders have in common is this: there's usually a method to the madness when it comes to their decision-making. Understanding the process from a funders' perspective can help you in your overall grantseeking process. (read more)

How often do you fall into the "fact trap" when writing grant proposals? Do you even know when you're in it? Learn what the "fact trap" is and why you want to avoid it when writing grant proposals. (read more)

The start of a nonprofit's new (fiscal) year is always an exciting time, with new fundraising goals to meet or exceed. Yet far too many nonprofit leaders rely on the budget - the bottom line - to measure annual success. In fact, there are many ways (and reasons) to measure various components of your fundraising campaigns. This post explores 9 essential metrics and offers tools to help you calculate and track them - so your fundraising stays on track all year long. (read more)

Charitable giving in the U.S. reached an all-time high in 2017, crossing the $400 billion mark. (Yes, billion with a "b.") This is one of the findings from the most recent Giving USA report, which tracks annual giving trends. Here are five highlights from the Giving USA 2018 report and why these takeaways matter to you. (read more)

Your nonprofit relies on donations from individual donors. And, chances are, you're a donor to other nonprofits as well. Do you pay attention to how different organizations thank you when you make a donation? I sure do. Recently, I made modest, but equal, gifts to a dozen nonprofits. What happened next inspired this post. (read more)

For a lot of nonprofits, June 30 marks the end of the fiscal year. Most nonprofits use their bottom line as the primary measure of success. And many will use it as the only way to measure the success of their fundraising program. The thing is, meeting your budget numbers shouldn't be your only fundraising goal. (read more)

There's more to grant writing than just "writing." A lot more. At its core, grant writing has three steps that I call the 3Rs: Research, wRiting, and Review. In a previous post, I shared the importance of doing your research before starting to write a grant. This post will offer tips on reviewing what you write, before you submit your proposal to a foundation. (read more)

PowerPoint presentations are a staple at most conferences. And as the title of this post suggests, PowerPoint seems to be here for good - or at least for the foreseeable future. If you're a trainer, and you use PowerPoint, you need to learn to use well, so you can help people learn. (read more)

Here's a secret: there's more to grant writing than just "writing." A lot more. Successful grant writing always starts with thorough research, and it ends with a thoughtful review. This post focuses on research - the most overlooked part of grant writing. (read more)

Unless you're an accountant, you probably don't like tax forms. But if you're a nonprofit (and especially if you're a grant seeker), you should love them. That's because tax forms - specifically the 990-PF - are a terrific, free research tool. Tax forms are a treasure trove of information. You can learn about a foundation's giving guidelines, how much they give, who they've given to recently, and so much more. (read more)

If you're new to grant writing, or even if you've been at it for a while, you might have questions like, How long does it usually take to get a grant? How much is a typical award? If I apply for 2 or 3 grants, will I get at least one? Each year, the State of Grant Seeking Report answers these questions and many more. Here's a summary of the latest data. (read more)

Every four years, the Olympics showcase the best of the best athletes on the world's biggest stage. This year, we'll see new stars, even new sports (mixed doubles curling, anyone?) This fundraising lesson comes from a timeless and classic winter sport. And, as a bonus, you'll find a fundraising effectiveness exercise. What's working? What's not? And what could you do differently? This post will help change the way you think about raising money. (read more)

The new year is a great time to set new goals for your organization. Even if it's the midway point in your fiscal year, you can still set goals - for the fiscal year or this calendar year. Just don't wait until the end of the year to measure your success! Check out these 10 fundraising metrics you might consider tracking and reporting, to help you reach your year-end goals. (And don't miss the 2 metrics that no nonprofit can afford to ignore!) (read more)