Our Authors and Editors Share their Perspectives

Research for Non-Researchers: Call for Insights!

Meredith Hancks — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:21:26 GMT

We are working on the next manual in the Prospect Research series, and we need your ideas! The focus of this book is on those of you in fundraising who do not have "research" in your job title. Perhaps you are a small organization and someone adds research projects as an additional activity, or perhaps you do have a researcher but are in need of some ideas for what you can ask them to find for you. This manual will answer those questions and give you a set of resources to use, whether you're doing the research on the fly, or want to ask the best questions of the researchers around you.

Private Company Research Workshop - day 1

Meredith Hancks — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:52:11 GMT

This month I get to dive into an online workshop on Private Company research and valuation. These types of companies are generally pretty tough to find information about, since they tend to publish only want they want the outside world to know. So I am very curious to learn about new sources for locating information.

Writing Process, Part II

Meredith Hancks — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Writing about writing is fun for me, and allows a way to look at what I'm doing in a different way and see whether it makes sense. In this post, I summarize some of the current writing projects I've got on my plate right now, and discuss some thoughts on the value of writing many things at once.

Want to help a new author reach his one-year goal?

Stephen Nill — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:27:00 GMT

First-time author Kent Stroman really got my attention when he mentioned that he had set the goal, in writing the book, of putting his first book, Asking about Asking: Mastering the Art of Conversational Fundraising, into the hands of one-thousand colleagues by the end of the first year. So we checked on sales numbers, and found that he was almost there!

On Becoming a Book Author

Joanne Oppelt — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

There are many reasons why you might wish to write and publish a book: to enhance your professional reputation, improve your career opportunities, supplement your income, achieve a lifelong dream, or just give back to the world in some way. For me, I had always dreamed of....

Meeting Foundations’ Needs

Joanne Oppelt — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:20:00 GMT

Fundraising is NOT about money. It is about meeting mission. And mission is about meeting needs – meeting the needs of your donor and meeting the needs of your organization. If you meet the needs of your donor, they will respond by meeting the needs of your organization which, in turn, meets the needs of your clients, thus fulfilling your mission. Today, I am going to talk about meeting the needs of one type of donor: foundations.

Fundraising: It's NOT About the Money

Joanne Oppelt — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Fundraising is not all about asking for money. Fundraising is about forming those relationships that best promote fulfillment of your mission. It is about forming partnerships. Partnerships where all parties get something of value. And the first step in structuring such partnerships is by identifying what who your potential partners might be.

Uncovering Donor Intent

Meredith Hancks — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:28:00 GMT

Trying to determine what a donor's goals were when they gave you a gift decades ago can be a challenging task. Especially when you don't have all the original information, no family members to contact, and the donors are deceased. In this post I briefly explore the journey from the sale of land and creation of the "James and Judy Mars Endowment Fund for Educational Research" (names changed) to the eventual realization that James and Joyce wanted students to be able to study local plant and animal life.

Fundraising: Forming Mission-Related Partnerships

Joanne Oppelt — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

To me, fundraising is all about forming mission-related partnerships. As I explain in my upcoming CharityChannel Press book, The Partnership Paradigm: Fundraising for a Solid Future, a partner is more than just a collaborator. A partner is any person or group who....

About What Are You Passionate?

Linda Lysakowski — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:14:00 GMT

Yesterday my new books arrived at my doorstep, Raise More Money from Your Business Community. It’s always a relief to see the finished product arrive after months, or years, of work. I think this book has been in my mind for more than twenty years so it was really a rewarding experience to get it down in black and white. Coming from a business background myself, this topic has always been near and dear to me, and my hope is that the publication of this book will lead to an increase in corporate giving, pulling it out of that small minority of 5 percent of all philanthropic giving in the United States. My hope is that we will see that number rise to 10 percent because nonprofits will have learned how to better approach businesses in their communities.

Would You Like to be Included in a CharityChannel Press Book? Here's How!

Amy Eisenstein — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:28:00 GMT

Has your organization broken out of the grant writing, event planning, and direct mail mold? Have you tried (with success or failure) to fundraise from individuals?

If so, I’d love to hear from you. I’m currently collecting stories from executive directors, fundraising professionals, and board members to include in my third book to be published by CharityChannel Press. The stories should focus on your experience (or lack thereof) getting started fundraising from individuals in a personal, face-to-face way.

Please help your fellow fundraisers learn from your real-world successes, as well your failures, challenges and frustrations. I want to hear about them all!

What Holds Me Back

Kent Stroman — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:03:00 GMT

When it comes to seeking major gifts, there are any number of things that can interfere with getting out there and getting the job done. In today's post I share a confession about what holds me back. And how to get over it.

I also have a big question for you. “What is your biggest obstacle to one-on-one gift solicitation?”

You'll read about some of our research findings on the subject and get some insight about the barriers some of your colleagues face.

Read on to find out ...

One letter can make all the difference!

Meredith Hancks — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Even though we rarely refer to people with their middle initial, it's a very useful piece of information to have. Many people have written about its importance in the field of prospect research and donor relations, but I was reminded again this week about how much it can facilitate accurate search results and save us time and energy, in addition to getting us the most accurate data. If I hadn't known the middle initial for my prospect, I could have been searching for a very very long time to figure out which of these individuals was the right one, and second-guessing myself all along the way.

Fundraising - It’s All About Mission

Joanne Oppelt — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:03:00 GMT

As I begin to implement my development plan, not only do I begin to work on the job tasks involved in each fundraising activity I will engage in, I also muse upon the kind of partnerships I want to develop. Who do I want a relationship with? If you think the answer is someone with money, you are wrong.

Distilling Personal Correspondence for Prospect History

Meredith Hancks — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:47:24 GMT

Creating a prospect profile can be an interesting expedition when you don't even have a database record to start from. We do, however, have a long series of personal letters that were written between a few individuals and stored in the archives at our institution. So in this week's challenge, I set out to uncover which pieces of these letters will be useful for someone essentially making a cultivation call on someone they have never met.

The Virtue of Acting (on your Ideas)

Kent Stroman — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:56:00 GMT

My last blog reflected on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his “I Have a Dream” speech. I closed by asking about your dream and challenging you to act on it. But today I’m asking for your help in solving a mystery. Perhaps you’ve heard the following quote: “The rewards in business go to the man who does something with an idea.” Here’s the mystery: Who said it?

My Experience with CharityChannel

Joanne Oppelt — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:15:00 GMT

I am thankful for CharityChannel Press, the publishing project of the CharityChannel professional community. Stephen Nill has been extremely supportive, not only as an editor, but also a confidante and friend. I have also been able to meet so many other people I would not have otherwise known: fellow authors Amy Eisenstein, Kent Stroman and Linda Lysakowski, to name a few. So, feel free to contact me with questions about authoring YOUR book, comments or just to say "hi." I look forward to meeting you.

Writing for Money: A Fundraiser’s Tool

Amy Eisenstein — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:09:34 GMT

One of the reasons I love writing is that it brings me closer to you. The primary goal of my writing is to help you raise more money. In fact, I’m currently working on a second book for you. This upcoming book (look for it later this spring) is designed specifically to help you raise more money and is a companion piece to 50 Asks in 50 Weeks: A Guide to Better Fundraising for Your Small Development Shop (my first book).

Dr. Martin Luther King's influence on TODAY

Kent Stroman — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:58:00 GMT

Today’s holiday provides a great reminder of the determination and devotion demonstrated by one of America’s greatest civil rights leaders ever, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In spite of the relentless opposition amassed against him, King marched on - literally – day after day, to end racism, racial segregation and inequality in the country he loved.

I had a dream once....

Creating a 60-Day Fundraising Plan: Days 1 through 15

Amy Eisenstein — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:46:00 GMT

Over the next several weeks, I’m going to walk you through creating a 60-day fundraising plan that will supercharge your fundraising. Let's take a look at what you should do in the first 15 days.