They say that two things in life are certain - death and taxes - and planned giving deals with both. At first glance, the idea of marketing planned giving programs might appear to require a certain degree of delicacy. After...
Why the web? The Internet is an effective and increasingly important communications tool with donors and professional advisors. Research in the U.S. has shown that, for donors making a decision with respect to bequest gifts in their wills, the preferred...
How are small organizations tracking constituents? What are they struggling with, and what works well? In partnership with the River Network, we spoke to a number of river conservation groups about their constituent databases, and reported back with best practices...
They say that technology, in many respects, has made life easier for most of us. At work, new tech like e-mail and file sharing have become staple methods of communication with clients and colleagues. But studies are showing that just...
I guess you can say that Geoff Cape knows a thing or two about social entrepreneurship. For approximately 18 years, he has led Evergreen, a national charity and social business venture with a mission of bringing communities and nature together...
In his 2000 book, The Tipping Point, author Malcolm Gladwell wrote about the power of people he called “connectors”. Social engagers, these individuals tend to have a large network of contacts from a range of social, professional, economic and cultural...
Measurement It is not unusual for organizations to eagerly establish planned giving programs only to back away from them a few years later as the board of directors looks for more immediate and tangible fundraising successes. The problem is often...
My charity has just been offered a large donation from a tobacco manufacturer. Is it ethical to take money obtained from a product that kills when used as directed? Many people are surprised to find there are two sides to...
When is it appropriate to cancel an event? (i.e. one that is no longer attracting/producing the desired results, or has grown stale.) If your event style is no longer producing the highest possible return on your - and your guests,...
The bad news about grant proposal writing is that grantmakers will never fund what you want them to. They only fund what they want to fund. They fund projects that further their mission. They fund initiatives that meet their priorities....
