I’m always checking out new resources to see how we can improve.  Today, let me share some new things I learned from a new fundraising guide produced by Network for Good.
25 STEPS TO FALL & HOLIDAY FUNDRAISING SUCCESS: Meet (and exceed!) Your Fundraising Goals offers a wealth of information and is free to download [...]

The Resource Alliance is hosting an international video competition – the Gold Star Award for Nonprofit Video Advertising – and the finalists will be shown at the International Fundraising Conference this October 20th-23rd.
Competition rules
All videos should have been premiered within last 18 months
All videos should be under 3 minutes in length
All entries must to be [...]

Grant proposal writing is a time consuming and often frustrating process.  A lot of time and energy goes into researching new foundations and their grant guidelines for good tie-ins to your organization’s mission and programs, but the success rate is frustratingly low.  Maybe about 10% of proposals sent to new prospective funders will ellicit a [...]

How many of you remember seeing the surprising Susan Boyle video from Britain’s Got Talent or perhaps you’ve seen the more recent Jill and Kevin Wedding Entrance?  These videos were fun, positive, and inspirational videos that struck a cord with viewers which made them go viral.  The first video helped promote the TV show the [...]

What’s the goal of your next fundraising event?  Is it to raise funds?
This sounds obvious, but these were the questions raised by Annette Meeks of the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota at last week’s Koch Development Exchange Meeting.
Annette presented several challenges to the audience.  If you’re serious about the event raising money, then follow these guidelines:

Be [...]

As one of the judges for SPNovations, a new award program offered by the State Policy Network, I get to see terrific examples of creativity and innovation on the part of our state-based think tank partners. Let me share a recent winner that takes high marks across the board – from the Maine Heritage Policy [...]

Despite the economic downturn, a recent report by the Foundation Center and the Council on Foundations identify an increasing trend in giving to international causes.
International giving totaled an estimated $5.4-billion last year, up from 2006, when the tally was $5-billion, according to the report. Also, international grants grew faster than overall foundation giving from [...]

Atlas encourages all institutes in its network to avoid taking government grants whenever possible. Atlas’s policy is to never take government funds. Not only does it help an institute’s credibility to be totally independent from the government, but also private funding is often more reliable over the long term. Diversify whenever possible!
Right now, hundreds of [...]

Many Atlas partners both in the United States and abroad are increasingly using the internet to generate support.Â
Building an email list of dedicated supporters is increasingly important. Three keys to building this list:

Only email relevant, interesting information
Don’t email them too often
Don’t always ask for money.

The British DMA Email Marketing Blog challenges the consensus on [...]