You have to love a book that's titled "All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten." That got me thinking about the simple fundraising truths that I learned early on in my fundraising career. Things that still guide me every day, in every word I write for nonprofits. This post shares 5 of the best pieces of fundraising copywriting advice you'll ever get, from some of the most respected names in the sector. (read more)

Does your nonprofit have 100% board giving? If you do, is every board member making a personally meaningful gift? While 100% giving participation is an important goal, how much each board member actually gives is important, too. Everyone can't give at the same level, and they shouldn't. So, rather than suggesting a "board minimum," this post offers a better way for each board member to identify the right amount for them to give. (read more)

Just like April showers bring May flowers, May brings a host of Spring Giving Days. These fundraising events are popping up all over. And it's not surprising, given the success of #GivingTuesday. These events are designed to drive donations, crowdfunding-style. Not only do your donations help other nonprofits, your gifts can actually help you understand and improve your own fundraising efforts. (read more)

When you think about grammar, you probably think about subject-verb agreement, correct comma usage, and such. The problem is good grammar doesn't make for very good fundraising writing. Of course, there are still rules and best practices that fundraising writers should follow. But other rules were made to be broken. This post addresses the latter. (read more)

Legal experts in the U.S. and Canada report there has been increased interest in updating and writing wills since the coronavirus outbreak. Why? It's a little like toilet paper hoarding. It's about being in control. We can't control a global pandemic. But we can put our affairs in order. And lots of people (including your donors) are doing that now. And you can help them. This post will show you how. (read more)

New year, new goals! Are all of your board members "on board" with making an annual gift to your organization? If not, this is a great resolution for your nonprofit. Every nonprofit should strive for 100% board giving, every year. This post will help you and your board members understand why this is so important (especially if you're a grantseeker). You'll also learn how to get to 100% board giving. (read more)

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)

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)

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)

Twitter recently increased the number of characters per tweet from 140 to 280. Just because you can say more, should you? The same question holds true for grants. If you're writing an online application and the response allows 300 words, do you need to use all 300 words? If it's a paper application, and you're allowed 5 pages, do you need to fill every page? And what about your donor appeals? What's the right length of the fundraising materials you write for your nonprofit? (read more)

After a disaster, people want to help. And donors to the relief efforts are very likely donors to other organizations - including yours. If you're not a relief organization, are you worried how Harvey (and now Irma) may impact your donations? Are you concerned about donor fatigue? That donors will be overasked and overcommitted by the end of the year? (read more)

It's been 5 days, and Harvey is still wreaking havoc across the South. And it will be months - even years - before the area fully recovers. People want to help, and you may be one of them. Consider these options to help the victims of Harvey as well as future disasters. You might be surprised at what you shouldn't do. (read more)

Ah, June. School's out. Pools are open. Vacation season is in full swing. Alas, summer isn't always a picnic for nonprofits. That's because the beginning of June also means the end of June isn't far away. And for many nonprofits, June 30 marks the end of their fiscal year. Regardless of where you are in your nonprofit's "year," there are five things you need to do now. (read more)

Do your board meetings feel like a necessary evil? Well, there's hope. You can have better board meetings. Great board meetings are possible, but they don't just happen. They take planning, preparation and a commitment from everyone, from the board officers to each and every board member. Here are 14 tips for better board meetings, with specific suggestions for your board chair, treasurer, secretary and the individual board members. (read more)

The new year. It's a time for fresh starts and new beginnings. It's a time for plans...and priorities. If you're like most people, you probably feel like you have too many things to do. And you wonder how you'll get them all done. There's no doubt that most nonprofit employees are charged with doing a lot of different tasks. So, I ask you, what's your top priority? And what would happen if you focused your time, energy and resources on that single most important thing? (read more)