Be warned. If you're starting a nonprofit and don't have $100,000 in the bank, don't use direct mail. You literally cannot afford to use direct mail to raise funds right now. Launching a new nonprofit is like launching a new...
Principal fundraising myth: It's common knowledge that corporations and foundations give most of the money to nonprofit organizations. Principal fundraising truth: You go where money you think you can get is to be found in the greatest quantities and most...
Tom Ahern is author of the book How to Write Fundraising Materials that Raise More Money: The Art, the Science, the Secrets, published by Emerson and Church. His other book, Raising More Money with Newsletters than You Ever Thought Possible,...
How long do most of your donors contribute to your organization before they walk away? One year? Five? Ten? You should know. Direct mail fundraising, like all effective fundraising, is about raising friends rather than raising funds. Raising a friend...
Canadians have historically risen to charitable funding challenges by donating their money and time to help alleviate suffering both at home and abroad. According to the 2004 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (CSGVP), more than 22 million Canadians made a...
While cash donations are always welcome, many charities are also happy to accept gifts in kind. However, unlike cashing a cheque, it's not always clear what the value of a gift in kind actually is, which makes filling out a...
What kind of response rates do your direct mail fundraising letters generate? That's the most common question I'm asked by potential clients. And it's a good question, since nonprofit organizations need the highest response rates they can get in today's...
Beyond cash, there are many other types of gifts that donors can give to charity. Adam Aptowitzer, a lawyer with the Ottawa-based law firm Drache LLP, reviews some of the options and what charities need to keep in mind when...
One of the greatest challenges in e-mail fundraising is poor open rates. The majority of donors who subscribe to email donor newsletters receive them but never open them. If you track your open rates, you likely already know that roughly...
I have a client whose direct mail fundraising program is in trouble. I think you can profit from his predicament. I know he is going to. The development officers at his nonprofit organization are doing plenty of things right. They...
