It’s October, and….
OOooooooooo…..
Do you hear that?
OOOoooooooo….
Oh no! It’s the sound of an approaching deadline for a grant you haven’t written! Run for the hills!
Read MoreApril Showers Bring May…Funder Visits!
Aah, May! Flowers are blooming. Birds are singing. The sky is bluer and the grass greener. And hopefully, your organization is slowing down a bit to celebrate a few award notifications at the close of a busy spring grants cycle. During the late spring or early summer months, because schedules are calmer, you might consider inviting existing or prospective funders to visit for an agency tour or coffee date. These “just because” visit invitations are great ways to try and nurture relationships outside of presenting an ask (don’t forget to add your major donors to the mix!).
Read MoreDoes Style Matter in Grant-Writing? (Hint: YES!)
At my first development job after leaving a career in teaching literature, I developed a personal motto for my grant writing: There’s always a place for rhythm and grace.
Read MoreSeason’s Greetings! Tips to Make Grantmakers Smile and Remember You this Holiday Season
‘Tis the season for holiday greetings and heartfelt messages of appreciation to your supporters. As you put the final touches on your beautiful, glittery cards, make sure not to forget about the grantmakers supporting your organization’s work! Remember that foundation officers and admin staff are people, too, and should be cultivated like your other donors (unless you’re working with a large corporate or federal funder that actually lets you know that they DON’T care to receive correspondence from you aside from your scheduled reports – save your postage on them).
Read MoreYou Maybe Neglecting Your Biggest Donors
We all know that we should love on our individual donors, right? If you are on top of you game, you may even have a moves management process to make sure you are consistently building relationships with your major donors and bringing them closer to your mission.
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