When I advise nonprofits about corporate giving, I recommend including a “corporate giving” section in their gift acceptance policy. It should note whether there are companies or even entire industries that your nonprofit wouldn’t want to partner with because they conflict with its mission.
Read More
If you’re new to fundraising, focusing on grants can seem really appealing. You don’t have to ask anyone for money (at least not directly), you can reuse material from one proposal to the next, and when you’re done, you can send it off in the mail and experience that little adrenaline rush of waiting for the notification to come in.
However, not every organization is prepared to make grants a significant portion of their development revenue for the coming year.
Read More
You know that you need more grant funding to support your mission, and you see other nonprofits on social media celebrating grant wins every day. How do they do it? Where do they find all these grant opportunities?
More than likely, the answer is prospect research.
Unfortunately, like most things in life, there is no quick and easy shortcut to identifying great grant prospects. Prospect research is a detailed task that requires patience, diligence, and systematic thinking.
Read More
You aren’t imagining it; grant prospects really do vanish. You may start with a long list of prospects that sound reasonably good, but when it’s time to receive a response to a grant submission or an invitation to apply, the trail goes cold.
The truth is that most disappearing grant prospects were never qualified prospects to begin with.
Read More
One of the biggest misconceptions people have when transitioning into nonprofit work is that they must leave business principles behind. While many nonprofits lack strong business systems, the reality is they need them. If someone suggests otherwise, trust your instincts and experience.
Read More
Fundraising has a reputation problem. For many people, it conjures images of awkward follow-ups, unanswered emails, and the uncomfortable feeling of “bothering” someone for money. But effective fundraising isn’t about pressure—it’s about connection, clarity, and consistency. The best fundraisers aren’t pushy; they’re pleasantly persistent.
So, what does that actually mean?
Read More
For every fundraiser, there comes the time when you just have to write. Whether it’s a grant proposal, an appeal letter, an address for the gala, or a case statement (hopefully a Case for Why!), we have to stop the flurry of daily activity, force ourselves to sit still, and get the words on the page.
Read More
